Legend - School DAZE
by Revu
Summary: Depressed after Goku's death, it's decided the best thing for Gohan is to send him to middle school and make friends with peers his own age. Together with his new friends Gohan will have to face the greatest threats earth has seen yet.
1. A Social Experiment

Dragon Ball Legend

1st Saga: School DAZE

Disclaimer:

-The author does not own any part of the Dragon Ball series, including but not limited to the characters of the story.

-This story is entirely fictional, based from purely fictional premise, none of the characters, actions characters partake in, many contraptions found here-in did not happen/do not actually exist.

-No money was made from the creation or distribution of this fic.

-No animals or people were hurt in the making of this fic.

-The author does not encourage nor endorse others to partake in actions as described within the story.

Warnings:

This story is rated T for the following reasons:

-Depictions of violence and mild gore.

-Mild language.

-Several deaths (Which by the way happens a lot in Dragon Ball… If you are offended by reading about dead people walking around in heaven, hell, or "Other World" then you should probably stop reading this and go read the Slayer's Spell Bible immediately!)

-Potentially inappropriate relationships.

If any of these themes offend you, please do not continue to read this story.

Misc:

A little less than two years after Cell is defeated, Gohan is sent to middle school. During this troubling time in any young person's life, Gohan will have to come to terms with who he is, how he feels about his father, who he wants in his life, and who he wants to be. Gohan's new friends will play a major role in helping to shape our hero from this day forward. And perhaps they'll even be able to lend Gohan a hand as he faces the greatest threats to earth yet.

I'd like to apologize to everyone waiting on my other stories. It's been a rough few months dealing with break ups and depression. As much as I wanted to I just couldn't get in the mood to write anything decent.

Well NaNoWriMo came along, and the rules of NaNoWriMo, for anyone not familiar with it, is you must write a story of 50,000 words or more within the month of November. It has to be a new story, not a continuation of something from the past. I debated it for a while and decided I'm going to do it. So this is my entry for NaNoWriMo.

At the time of this posting I'm a little over 25,000 words into the story. I'm going to post it chapter by chapter still but there is at least that much and I definitely hope my exercise proves to help get my confidence and creativity back up there.

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**Chapter 1: A Social Experiment**

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Two years after the Cell Games…

Chichi watched with a forced smile on her face as her twelve year old son spoon fed his little brother. "Come on Goten! Who's gonna grow up and be a big stwong super saiyan? Is it you? Yeah it's you huh?! Better keep eating then!" Goten giggled as his brother teased him and gave him more toddler mush.

There were times like now when Gohan acted normal and happy, but Chichi was starting to see the truth… her son was depressed and lonely. In part she blamed herself for being such a strict parent and forcing Gohan to spend so much time concentrating on his studies…

"Why do you hate it that I just want to spend time with my friends? Is that really so wrong?!" Chichi remembered Gohan snapping at her the last time she told him he couldn't go spend time at Master Roshi's house. He immediately realized what he had done and his expression softened, "I… I'm sorry mom… I didn't mean… I'll get back to studying…"

Did she not want him to spend time with friends? This was true in part… No matter how she tried to look at it, she just wasn't comfortable with Gohan spending so much time with friends considerably older than he was. All of Gohan's friends were, after all, his father's friends. He was just born at the wrong time to have anyone his own age inside the family's circle of trust.

A thought had been bouncing around her mind for a little while now… it seemed like the perfect solution to her… Every kid needs to socialize and the rest of the world socialized by going to school. She just had two hurdles to overcome to put her thought into action. First was convincing Gohan to go, and second was convincing herself that allowing Gohan to slouch to the level of normal was what was best for him right now…

Chichi had gone through the trouble of researching the curriculum Gohan would be learning in a school with his own age group… and quite frankly… she had him doing most of that kind of work when he was Goten's age… They were still studying Algebra for crying out loud! She had Gohan learning Calculus when he was seven… She sat down and sighed as it just became all the clearer how much rougher Gohan had it than a normal kid.

"Goten's all done mom, I'll be going up to finish my homework now…" Gohan informed his mom as he tidied up the kitchen.

She was going to do it… no second guessing… "Gohan sweetie, come here for a minute."

Gohan looked confused but did as he was told and took a seat in the living room by his mom, "What is it?" he asked mildly concerned.

Chichi looked very serious, "We need to talk about something, this is important for you alright?"

Gohan nodded still unsure of where the conversation was headed.

Deciding not to beat around the bush, Chichi stated frankly, "Gohan honey… I'm not sure how you're going to feel about this, but I want to enroll you in a full time school."

"WHAT?!" Gohan fell back in shock, definitely not expecting this of all things.

Just the reaction she'd expected… Chichi pulled out a folder of information, "I took the liberty of contacting a few appropriate institutions and they sent me quite a bit of information, why don't you have a look?" She handed the pamphlets to her son, "These are a few of the schools nearby for you. I remember the city close by being called Orange City, but apparently they've renamed it during the last year," She stopped talking and sat back in her seat awaiting a reaction.

Gohan was still getting over the shock of full time school when he brushed over the curriculum section of the pamphlet. His face contorted slightly as he tried to hide his surprise as to what his age group was still learning, "Wait… why… why these schools?"

Chichi grinned unnoticeably to herself knowing she at least had his interest now, "Both Orange Star Middle and St. Ajora Academy are reputable schools with near equal high averages on all the recognized standardization tests. St. Ajora's is definitely a more expensive school, but your grandfather has offered to help pay the tuition if that's the one you choose."

"I don't need an expensive school," Gohan replied immediately as he looked over the packets, "Wh… Why do you want to send me to a Middle School? I mean… not that… you know that's entirely out of the question or anything… but… don't you get all of my textbooks from some post graduate academy somewhere?"

Chichi shook her head, "Those schools are just much further away from us, plus the students there are a lot older than you are."

Gohan scratched his head, "It's just… you took a look at the courses they offer at this school right? So I thought…"

Chichi smiled, "Are you saying you're too smart for Middle School?"

"NO! No… it's not like that… but…" Gohan was at a loss for words.

Chichi rubbed her son's shoulder deciding to lay down all the cards and just be blunt with him, "There's a reason I want you to go to a middle school Gohan."

Gohan cocked his head to the side, "There is?"

Chichi nodded, "I think you're missing out on a lot by not having friends your own age. When your father was your age so was Krillin, and Yamcha wasn't that much older." Gohan's expression darkened a little at the mention of his father and Chichi mentally cursed herself for that, "I just want you to see the world from your own generation's point of view. Go see what they're like out there. Find out more about the real world and not just read about it in books and newspapers but live it with your peers. I expect you to work hard and learn about modern trends in youth today and incorporate new theories into your communication skills. We can consider this a… social experiment. What do you think?"

Gohan thought about it for a minute, "Well… I guess I could learn something from that…"

Chichi smiled, "Great! Then we'll be going into town tomorrow to take the exam and shop for school clothes for you!"

"OK…" Gohan agreed still unsure of what exactly he was getting into, but now he was at least mildly excited.

The next day, Chichi was waiting patiently outside the testing room at Orange Star Middle Academy. Chichi was all dressed up and had makeup on to look as professional as possible. She had made sure Gohan wore his business dress clothes also. From the moment they walked in the door he was getting compliments on how sharp he looked which made him quite interested with the ground all the way through the building.

Chichi couldn't help but chuckle as her son may have been the most powerful warrior in the universe, but he still lacked the skills to confidently speak to normal people. More than ever she was sure she was making the right choice.

The door to the exam room opened and the instructor led Gohan outside. Chichi smiled to herself when she saw the bewildered gaze that crossed the instructor's face. The instructor hurriedly called out the principal before going over the results.

"How'd you do?" Chichi asked her son as he took a seat by her.

Gohan shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I did well, there was nothing on it that looked unfamiliar… but as soon as I finished he just looked at me funny and started mumbling…"

The principal finally came out of her office looking very excited with the instructor close behind, "Mr. Son, may I shake your hand?"

Gohan nodded meekly, "Okay…"

The principal gave Gohan's hand an enthusiastic squeeze, "My goodness you are a smart one aren't you?"

"Ummm…" Gohan obviously didn't know how to respond to the situation.

The principal couldn't help but chuckle, "You see no one has ever completed our entrance exam within the time limit much less aced it. Mr. Son… I must congratulate you on being the first student ever to achieve a perfect score! Remarkable! We welcome you with open arms to Orange Star Middle Academy!"

Chichi cleared her throat drawing over the principal's attention, "I'm so proud of you son, I knew you could do it! Now when will he be able to start?"

The principal looked over the paperwork, "I have the staff taking care of processing his registration paperwork right now. We just have to clear him with the district since your permanent residence is outside our designated school zone, but I am sure we will have no issues getting the transfer approved by the superintendent. Would Monday be alright to come back for his first day?"

Chichi smiled sweetly, "That would be perfect Principal Brennard, I'll make sure he's here and ready for class Monday morning!"

The principal still had an excited smile over her face, "Excellent! Then you rest up and enjoy your weekend Mr. Son. Come back to my office when you arrive on Monday, and I'll show you to your class!"

"Alright, thank you Ma'am." Gohan bowed courteously to the principal before turning to leave.

Chichi and Gohan started walking towards the car, "So what do you think?" Chichi finally asked.

"It's a huge building," Gohan looked around and noticed he was being watched by students hanging out by the windows from a few of the classrooms several floors up. He waved shyly and a few girls waved back, "Everyone seems friendly… I guess it'll be alright." Gohan opened the passenger side of the car and took a seat.

"Good, I hope you'll make a lot of new friends here!" Chichi smiled warmly as she started the car.

"Umm… Thanks…" Gohan thought dryly as the car lifted up and headed to the mall where they were to meet with Bulma.

Bulma was easy to spot once they arrived at the mall. She actually brought a few cart bots with her to carry anything she decided to buy while here.

"Oh boy…" Gohan thought to himself realizing this would not be a quick trip through one or two stores.

"Hi Bulma!" Chichi called giving her friend the usual hug, "How was Goten when you left?"

Bulma hugged Chichi back and smiled brightly, "Oh, he's doing great! He and Trunks were busy playing with the mega blocks, building yet another undecipherable mass of plastic. Vegeta's watching them now making sure neither of them tries to swallow any of the legos." Chichi laughed, long since realizing she had nothing to worry about with her son while Vegeta was watching.

The tug of war began as the two ladies dragged Gohan to stores all across the mall. Gohan sighed as his mom kept pulling polo shirts and plaid pants off of the racks for him to try on. Bulma at least was more aware of his style and found more cargo pants and snuck a few pairs of jeans in for him. She was even good at finding the shirts that were simple yet stylish for him.

Gohan had been whisked through at least ten stores over the last three hours when the sound of shattering glass reached his ears. The roof of the mall was broken as several men repelled through the opening with semi automatic weapons in their grasp. The shattered skylight was directly above the financial nerve of the mall where the ATMs, cash exchange, and broker services were located.

The men pointed their guns at the employees, "HAND OVER ALL THE MONEY NOW!"

"Oh man…" Gohan stared at the events happening on the floor under them.

Gohan was getting ready to jump down to the floor below and help when his mother called him, "Gohan! Be careful no one recognizes you. It could cause a lot of trouble for you if people start associating you with crime fighting and super powers."

Gohan froze thinking about how unrelenting the media alone could be when they found someone of interest to them. Gohan turned around looking torn, "I have to do something!"

Bulma winked at Gohan with an all knowing smirk on her face, "It's a good thing you saiyans come with a built in disguise that should work for now!"

"Oh yeah!" Gohan grinned and ran off behind the service doors to the mall corridors.

Most of the mall goers were dropping to the floor and covering their heads as the robbers fired warning shots into the air and loaded their bags with money. Once they had enough they began scaling up their ropes again to make their escape on the roof.

As the men climbed, everyone in the mall was prone on the ground trying to shield themselves except for two women on the second floor who watched them with arms crossed. Before the men could think much about it, a gust of wind blew out from behind the service doors on the second floor. A young super saiyan burst from behind them and like a bolt of lightning cut the ropes the vandals were scaling, allowing them to fall to the floor.

The three men screamed as they fell to the ground level. They each hit with a hard thud and hurriedly climbed to their feet. Gohan landed in the middle between the three of them, "Give it up, now!"

The three of them turned to Gohan and all fired their weapons at the same time. None of the bullets penetrated Gohan's powerful aura. In a burst of speed Gohan grabbed all the guns and twisted them together into an unrecognizable heap of metal.

Now disarmed, the three bandits attempted to make a break for it. Gohan grabbed one easily by the leg as he tried running past and hurled him into the other two. Once they were down on the ground Gohan whirled around the crooks and tied them up with their own escape rope leaving a package ready for police to come pick up.

The bystanders began to stand back up again now that the threat was over. Some of them pulled out their camera phones as they approached to get a better look at the boy who saved the day. The glow around Gohan's body intensified causing them to look away and he floated out through the ceiling and vanished.

Gohan quickly snuck back in through the mall through a service entrance and made his way back over to the scene of the incident. He smiled as he noticed people making sure the crooks didn't try and escape and sirens were heard through the hole in the ceiling signifying the police were close.

A loud slap noise from behind startled Gohan and made him jump slightly. A girl with short black hair and blue eyes stood overlooking the scene with her fists clenched, "I can't believe I missed the action! This would have been a great opportunity to test my new techniques too!" She crossed her arms and sighed from her perch over the mall.

The girl noticed Gohan leaning over the rail and approached him, "Hey! Did you see what happened here?"

Realizing he had been staring, Gohan shook his head, "Me? No… I wasn't able to see anything…"

The girl's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Gohan carefully, "You weren't able to see anything huh? Are you sure about that?"

Gohan gulped nervously; he wasn't sure why, but he felt as though his soul was being peered into, "Well I saw the crooks when they broke in and started firing their guns, but I was running and didn't actually see who stopped them."

The girl crossed her arms and sighed, "Makes sense, sorry I shouldn't expect just anyone to stick their neck out and see what's going on."

A sweat drop formed on Gohan's brow as he rubbed the back of his head. Gohan's nervousness didn't fade as the girl looked him up and down. She gave his dressy outfit a once over and realized it looked a little familiar, "Hey I saw you leaving my school today, didn't I? Did you just enroll in Orange Star Middle?"

Gohan nodded, "Yes, I start class on Monday."

"I see… Well what's your name then?" The girl asked.

Gohan extended his hand out courteously, "Son Gohan, nice to meet you."

The girl took the offered hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you too Gohan."

Gohan didn't release her hand as if he were waiting for something. The girl looked confused which finally triggered Gohan to mention, "Sorry, I didn't get your name."

The girl's eyes widened, "What?! You mean… you don't know who I am?"

Gohan let go of her hand and scratched his head, "Umm… no…"

The girl shook her head, "I'm sorry, with the look you had on your face earlier I had thought you had recognized me, I'm Videl Satan, the daughter of Hercule Satan, the man who defeated Cell."

Gohan's mouth fell open and his eye twitched, "You mean you're… _his_ daughter?"

"I know I know, it's a big role to live up to, but I'm training hard to surpass my father! I'm pretty busy with that so I need to get going. Maybe I'll see you at school sometime! Bye!" Videl called as she ran off.

"Bye…" Gohan waved back weakly.

After a moment of standing in place having watched her leave a shrill voice spoke into Gohan's ear from behind, "Sooo… first day in town and you've already met a girl, aren't you the little Casanova?"

"Bulma!" Gohan whined.

"Okay, I'm sorry… but from the looks of things you're going to need a set of clothes that we aren't going to be able to find here," Bulma beamed as the cogs of genius began to turn.

Gohan cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What are you talking about Bulma?"

"I'm talking about crime fighting silly! It's in your blood, you can't just sit back and watch bad things happen; you have to jump in and do something about it. So to protect your identity you're going to need some kind of disguise."

Chichi started walking along side the two of them, "That's a good idea Bulma, I know I sure don't want the press at my door at all hours of the night trying to get the latest story on the city's newest hero."

Bulma closed her eyes happily and smiled, "Let's go back to my place real quick, I might just have something."

Once the group finished their shopping, Bulma drove them over to the Capsule Corp building in West City. Vegeta was more than happy to push the sitting responsibilities off to someone else once they arrived, so Chichi watched the boys while Bulma took Gohan back to the lab.

"I've actually been working on this for a few years now since the Cell Games. Back then it was challenging enough just mimicking Vegeta's armor that was capable of expanding to enormous size with enough elasticity to return to its original shape once free of stress without permanent stretching. Well let's just say that since then I've made some enhancements!" Bulma grinned as she pulled out a capsule and opened it to reveal a manikin wearing her customized space armor.

The bodysuit to the armor was still skin tight and entirely black. Rather than cloth boots and gloves the armor had dark navy blue plating which entirely covered the lower legs and forearms with various built in gadgetry. Brighter blue Elbow plates and knee plates attached to the arm and leg pieces for added protection and provided a jagged accented look. Instead of a full chest piece, the armored covering angled out only half way down the chest, but had full shoulder pads matching the knee and elbow plates. In the center of the short chest piece shined a bright red lens like a large jewel.

"Wow…" Gohan looked over the suit amazed at how space aged it looked. "What does it do?"

Bulma had to laugh before beginning, "Well, as I said, it is much more advanced than the original saiyan armor was. You'll notice the material is incredibly dense. I was able to engineer a series of polymer chains that stretch instead of deform under high amounts of pressure."

Gohan nodded feeling he understood a little, "So the high density lets the material spread evenly instead of breaking?"

"Exactly!" Bulma grinned, "And then there's the tech! The panel inside the left arm controls all the function settings of the suit and can also act as a radar capable of locating objects such as unearthly metals, dragon balls, and energy sources. It also picks up any band of radio frequency. Under the lens in the chest is a powerful superconducting electromagnet. It generates powerful magnetic fields capable of repelling away from the Earth's magnetic field, and it's been programmed to detect free fall and compensate to soften a hard landing. The fields are also capable of stopping bullets and can even cancel out ki blasts that register up to five hundred thousand on the scouter scale. Compared to you and Vegeta I know that's practically nothing, but it's a lot more than the old suits protected you from."

Gohan whistled as he listened to everything this suit could do, "Wow Bulma… It really sounds like you've put a lot of work into this… are you sure you want to let me have it?"

Bulma laughed, "Gohan, I made these suits to be used you know. I just need to make a few adjustments to make it a little more convenient for you. We're going to need something to conceal your face most of all to protect your identity. And I also think we can use a special capsule to make it immediately deploy… Yes, let me check into that… OH! I suppose we should also theme it with whatever you're going to call yourself. Have you put any thought into that yet?"

"Ummm…" Gohan scratched his head, then rubbed his chin and looked from side to side, "Call myself… Like an actual superhero name… Super… Mega… Ultra…"

"Looks like I should have given you some more warning," Bulma sat down and watched the thought process for a moment.

"Wow this is hard…" Gohan paced around the room, "I guess I want something kind of original, cool sounding, simple, and it needs to strike fear into bad guys…"

"Yeah you don't want to completely rip off a comic book or anything like that, unless it's old enough that people wouldn't get it anymore," Bulma joked.

"Old…" Gohan perked up, "what about something like from mythology?"

"Now you're onto something!" Bulma cheered.

"I've been enjoying Norse Mythology lately, maybe something like… Odin!"

Bulma nodded, "Very cool idea, it will take a while to theme a space suit to look more Norse god like. They wore lots of armor didn't they?"

Gohan frowned again, "I don't want to make this hard on you Bulma, and that probably would take a lot away from how cool the suit already looks… It would probably be easier to theme it like an animal of some kind. Saiyans transform in oozarus which seems cool, except a small monkey probably isn't that cool…" Bulma was about to interject when Gohan lit up again, "A mythological creature! Something that everyone would understand when they see it no matter who they are… Something like… a dragon! Like Shen-ron!"

"That gives us some concrete design cues, and you're right, no matter where they're from, even Namekians know what a dragon is," Bulma rolled over to her computer and started making design changes on the screen to the suit. "This shouldn't take long at all for something this easy, give me about an hour. Oh and tell your mom sorry for the wait and that I insist you all stay for dinner tonight!"

Gohan smiled at the thought of dinner, "Alright, thanks a lot Bulma! Really! You're too cool!" Gohan ran off to go let his mother know.

Once Chichi had agreed to stay for dinner, Gohan was on his way back to go watch Bulma work when Vegeta stopped him in the hallway, "Have you been keeping up with your training brat?"

Gohan turned his head nervously as he realized where this conversation was going to go, "When I have time by myself out in the woods I train still."

"In the woods? You call that training? Follow me," Vegeta started walking back the other way.

"Where are we going…?" Gohan asked as he followed close behind the prince.

Vegeta's trademark confident grin crossed his face as he replied, "The gravity chamber for a sparring session."

Gohan gulped, "Oh boy…" Though a little worried, Gohan followed Vegeta into the room and shut the door behind him as Vegeta turned up the gravity to over five hundred times that of earth. Gohan stripped off his nicer clothes and set them aside where they'd be safe and faced the prince.

"Alright boy, now fight me!" Gohan bowed to Vegeta as was custom for him before a sparring match, though Vegeta held no such traditions and threw a punch that grazed Gohan's arm, "Sentimentality only leaves room for an early defeat!"

Gohan gulped down some apprehension and jumped back. Vegeta gave chase and began throwing a series of punches and kicks at lightning speed. Gohan blocked and dodged all of the attacks while he continued to jump back away from Vegeta.

"Stop running and fight!" Vegeta buried his fist into Gohan's stomach to drive his point home and launched him into the wall.

Gohan opened an eye and noticed Vegeta's knee incoming toward his face. A loud bang echoed through the chamber. A victorious grin settled across Vegeta's face, but then he saw Gohan had caught his attack with his elbows braced against the wall. Gohan pushed Vegeta off then launched himself into a power backed uppercut. Vegeta took the hit under his chin and was thrown back.

Vegeta pushed himself quickly to his feet and noticed Gohan hadn't moved from where he landed his last attack, "Why do you always wait for your opponent to recover? Keep attacking!" Vegeta launched a blast at Gohan which Gohan side stepped to dodge. Instead of fading to nothing, the blast circled the chamber and came around the room a second time. The boy barely managed to put his hands back up in defense as the energy swept him away.

Gohan was pushed across the floor by the blast and noticed Vegeta was coming up quick from behind him in a blur of super speed. Right before he was sandwiched between Vegeta's attacks, Gohan rolled off the energy blast and redirected it to the approaching Vegeta. Without room to maneuver, Vegeta put his hand out to cancel out the blast. Because of the flash of light, Vegeta hadn't noticed Gohan was following directly behind it and smashed his fist around Vegeta's arms. Vegeta had to switch to a defensive stance to block Gohan's punches. Once Gohan noticed Vegeta was about to attack, he changed his attack style as well and struck a nerve in Vegeta's defending arm to momentarily disable it. Once the arm dropped out of the way it was only a matter of launching a fierce strike through the temporary vulnerability.

Vegeta growled as Gohan's fist connected squarely with his chest and launched him back. He shook his arm to get feeling back into it again, "Using pressure points is certainly not one of Kakarot's maneuvers…"

"Nope," Gohan tried to catch his breath, "I learned that from Mr. Piccolo."

"Right…" Vegeta clenched his fingers getting feeling back into them, "I forgot you may as well be half alien slug." Without warning he lifted recovered hand up and fired an energy blast at his opponent. Gohan countered with his own energy blast and the room filled with a bright overwhelming light.

An hour later the door to the gravity chamber swung open and two beat up saiyans emerged, "Not bad punk…"

Gohan couldn't help but laugh, "Wow, so I've been promoted from brat to punk now?"

Vegeta snickered as the intercom went off, "Dinner is ready!"

"Come on then," Vegeta nodded to Gohan, "Sustenance is important after fierce training."

"Wait…" Gohan panicked looking down at his bruised form, "My mom is in there and she'll lecture me for hours if she sees me like this…"

Vegeta tsked, "Always that constant fear of the harpy. Fine, take this!" Vegeta tossed Gohan a senzu bean and took one for himself.

"Thanks you Vegeta!" Gohan swallowed the bean and ran to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Once Gohan was out of site Vegeta grinned almost proudly and walked toward the dining room.

Dinner ended and Bulma showed Gohan and Chichi what she'd managed to come up with.

Gohan and his mom looked on in awe at the new modifications to the suit such as a helmet which tapered into a dragon like snout above the eyes, an open dragon's maw around the red lens on the chest piece, and a ribbed armored spine going down the back. "I decided a helmet would be the best way to go about concealing your identity. It interfaces with the control panel on the arm piece to display information. It's designed to function just like a scouter, in fact the entire visor is the exact same red filament display screen that scouters use. There's also a speaker and transmitter on the left side to let you tune in and broadcast on those radio frequencies easier." Bulma handed the helmet to Gohan to let him look it over better, "Oh, and since I was modifying the chest piece, I went ahead and threw in one more surprise,"

Gohan was still admiring all the functionality of the helmet, "A surprise? Like what?"

"Well if I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise," Bulma grinned like an evil genius.

Gohan could hardly believe all this amazing tech as he put the helmet back on the manikin, "This is awesome Bulma! I can't believe you came up with this in only an hour!"

Bulma laughed, "Thanks to the auto draft and production equipment around here, that actually only took me about twenty minutes, the belt took the other forty."

"Belt?" Gohan was unsure why his costume needed a belt at this point.

Bulma nodded, "I wanted to make sure the belt looked ordinary enough that it wouldn't draw attention while you're wearing it in normal clothes, but also continued the patterns of the armor to look right once you switch over."

Gohan still didn't quite understand quite what made the belt so important in the first place.

Bulma caught the confused look and explained further, "The belt has a specially designed capsule in the buckle you see. Watch what happens when I press this button." Bulma demonstrated by clicking the button in and the entire suit on the manikin disappeared.

"Now put the belt on, Gohan," comprehension dawned over Gohan as he threaded the belt through the loops on his slacks. Rather than a normal belt buckle, it had a thick metal clasp with a small switch under the side that wouldn't be easy to press by accident.

"You said this button?" Gohan pointed at the buckle.

"That's it, go ahead and try it," Bulma crossed her fingers that it would work right.

Gohan pushed it, and in a flash of light the new armor was properly adorned on his frame, "Whoa… that is cool Bulma!"

Chichi nodded in approval, "You are amazing, it looks really good."

Bulma laughed, "The harder part was getting it to switch out Gohan's clothes for the suit. The suit is basically skin tight, so obviously if he's wearing other clothes it wouldn't be able to simply place the armor over it. In all honesty I kind of rushed the programming and was crossing my fingers that it wouldn't leave him naked."

Chichi laughed along with Bulma and only made Gohan blush slightly.

"Well I'm glad that didn't happen, and really this suit is awesome Bulma! I actually can't wait to use it!" Gohan hit the button to return to his normal clothes and in a flash of light Gohan's arms were sleeved through his pant legs, his shirt was wrapped around his lower torso, and his underwear was draped over his head. Gohan fell over to the side due to the constraining shirt on his legs and looked pleadingly over at Bulma, "Can you please fix this?"

Bulma and Chichi couldn't help but break out into a full fit of laughter much to Gohan's embarrassment. He managed to get the belt off and give it to Bulma as she moved a screen over to give him some privacy to fix his clothes.

The problem was fixed in less than fifteen minutes and Chichi loaded her boys into the car and waved goodbye to the Briefs. During the drive back home Chichi couldn't help but notice the smile on Gohan's face reflected in the window as he stared out the side of the car. So far her plan was looking to be a success!

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**End Chapter**

Thank you much for checking into yet another story. I'm in the middle of making the mad dash to 50,000 words in November, and this first chapter is already 10% of that goal. The way I write, chances are even if I do make 50,000 words, that won't be enough to actually finish this story. I do want to see this finished, but also have a lot of other neglected stories. Please leave me a review and let me know if you think this story has potential.

Thanks and 'til next time!


	2. The First Day

Thanks for continuing on to chapter two! First off I wanted to thank the reviewers from chapter one:

Mustafa123

cmac103 – Thanks for the encouragement, I'll do my best to make it by the deadline!

Ern Estine 13624

SSJ2Luke – I'm glad people still enjoy a descriptive fight scene, I'll be sure and go all out when we get to the good fights later in the story!

Dyton – I love the insight; that helps so much! I agree entirely with you, though I will do my best to keep Gohan from fighting in his birthday suit unless absolutely necessary.

And our two guests!

As much as I'm rushing through writing this story, I'm trying to take it a little slow with the development. I want to focus a lot of the story on the character interaction and development between Gohan and his friends while throwing a little excitement here and there. At least for now. I hope you all enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: The First Day**

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The class room was loud and talkative as Videl Satan ran through the door and found her seat just before the bell rang to signify the beginning of instruction.

"Running a tad on the late side huh Videl?" a blond girl beside her smiled as Videl sat down.

"Hi Erasa. There was a grocery store on my way in that was being held up," Videl mentioned sounding only mildly annoyed, much how most people would mention heavy traffic.

"Don't tell me you stopped the robber?" a blond boy with a crop top haircut asked from her other side.

Videl grinned at him, "Stop him? Sharps, please, I helped him get away from the store. On a stretcher… into an ambulance… heading for the hospital to be treated for concussions and severe bleeding from the nose."

Her friends giggled as a woman in her early thirties in front raised her hand to immediately silence the room, "Good morning class!" She called.

Most of the class courteously spoke their good mornings.

The teacher smiled, "Alright, now I know this doesn't happen often in the middle of the year, but there is going to be a new student in your class today."

A few of the students whispered amongst themselves, "You don't suppose it's that guy we saw out of the window last week?"

"If it is, he seemed kind of dorky wearing that whole suit and tie," a few of the students all snickered.

Videl remembered running into him at the mall later that day, "Yeah he did say he was going to be starting school today…"

"When did you talk to him?" Sharp asked sounding defensive.

There was a knock at the door which silenced further debate. The door opened and the school principal walked in with Gohan in tow, "Good morning everyone!" The entire class stood and bowed to the principal.

Once the courteous motion was over, the class immediately gave Gohan the once over. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants, a loose white mid sleeve shirt reaching just past his elbows with an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt over it, and white tennis shoes. His backpack was slung over one shoulder as he awaited his seating assignment.

The principal whispered to the teacher for a few moments so none of the other students could hear, "This one really has a lot of potential, he's the first to ever get a perfect score on the school entrance exam. He's a little on the shy side though so please encourage him without getting the class too involved until he opens up to them more. I'd hate for him to become discouraged due to their teasing."

The teacher smiled, "Not a problem, I'll just tone down my recognition a bit until he's comfortable."

Gohan was already beginning to fidget as he remained standing in front of the class. He could feel the other kid's eyes on him and he tried his best not to get nervous.

"I'll let his other teachers know as well," the principal turned to leave, "Good luck Gohan!" she shook his hand again as she walked out of the room.

Gohan turned back to the teacher who smiled warmly at him, "Well Mr. Son, I'm Mrs. Holly, I'm the first quarter teacher for this class. Why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"

Gohan nodded and pulled up some courage to face the class, "Hi, I'm Son Gohan!" He gave a half wave and made a few of his fellow classmates snicker.

"Oh boy, this one's going to be another push over in the class…" Sharp whispered to Videl.

"Be nice Sharp!" Erasa warned from Videl's other side.

"Would you care to tell them a little bit about yourself Gohan?" the teacher pushed just a little.

Gohan scratched the back of his head trying to think of anything he could mention about himself that wouldn't freak people out… He couldn't tell them he'd spent a year in space, or fought against the tyrant overlord of the universe. He couldn't tell them about the year he had spent in only a day inside the hyperbolic time chamber… He definitely couldn't mention that it was he who defeated Cell two years ago… Maybe he could smudge the truths a little bit though…

The teacher was about to give up on getting Gohan to speak when he finally told the class, "I've actually been homeschooled my entire life because of all the time I've spent traveling. When I was six years old my mentor, Pic… umm… Ma Junior, took me across the world to study the animals and dinosaurs of rainforests, jungles, and deserts as well as the structure of ancient temples and pyramids. I even got to see his homeland where people live much simpler lives than they do here. Because of all the time I've spent away though I can't really say I have any real hobbies besides fishing and swimming which I do a lot of. Maybe now that I'm permanently here I'll get to learn more about what others do for fun."

The class appeared to be impressed, and the teacher was happy that Gohan was able to talk enthusiastically about a few of his life's highlights, "Thank you very much Gohan, now if you'd like to have a seat, you'll find an empty desk up on the right side of the center aisle."

"She doesn't mean the seat by me does she?" Sharp moaned.

Gohan bowed courteously to his teacher and walked over to his seat. He nodded a greeting to his immediate neighbors and noticed a familiar face, "Hey! You're the girl I saw at the mall last week. Videl right?"

Videl didn't appear to be too interested in the newcomer but nodded, "Yup I remember you're the one that didn't see anything of the robbery that day."

"You were there?" the blond girl next to Videl asked, "They were talking about that on the news all weekend, that some glowing guy flew in and stopped the robbery, I would have thought that'd be hard to miss. I'm Erasa by the way." Gohan nervously waved to the girl, "I wish I could have seen whoever stopped those robbers. All the pictures taken were too distorted from the light to get any clear features. But people who were there are calling him "Golden Boy" or "Golden Fighter" and stuff like that because of how bright he was glowing. I'd love to find out who he is or where he comes from and how he was able to glow and fly like that!"

"It's pathetic how people get riled up over nothing. It's just an illusion trick just like Videl's dad always says, right Videl?" Sharp looked proud at his apparent ability to deduce facts about a person he'd never met.

"Yup…" Videl continued to sound just as uninterested by the conversation.

"Well you guys sure are in a mood today…" Erasa leaned her head on her arm as she regarded the two of them. "Sorry about my friends here, but it's great to have you in our class Gohan!"

Gohan smiled back to the Erasa as the teacher reeled the class back in to begin the assignments.

The conversation with Erasa made Gohan realize something important though… He would have to start making appearances soon as his new alter ego if he was going to have any hopes of controlling his identity and public perception. That meant that if he was going to have to talk to people as his new Dragon persona that he'd eventually be asked for a bit of backstory.

'Hatched from an egg…? No that's stupid, I'm obviously not a real dragon… Planet of dragon humanoids? Aliens have been totally overdone…' Gohan chewed on his pencil eraser absently as he thought through possibilities.

"Gohan, are you paying attention?" Gohan snapped from his thinking as the teacher called on him.

There was a math problem written on the board so after looking at it for a second Gohan stood and said, "X equals seventeen point nine seven two… two…?"

The entire class had gone wide eyed and stared at Gohan as he began stating the answer which made him feel more uncomfortable.

The teacher gulped, "That… that is the correct answer Gohan…" Gohan looked confused as to why the whole class was still staring at him as he sat down.

"That was amazing Gohan!" Erasa cheered.

"What was?" Gohan asked confused.

"You know, after the teacher just finishes explaining how complex square root equations needed to be solved in small steps and you had the entire problem solved before the first step was on the board!" Erasa beamed.

Sharp shook his head at Gohan, "Oh man… nerd…"

Gohan sunk in his seat and buried his face in his hands realizing he would need to be more careful.

The class broke for lunch after the first two quarters. Gohan grabbed a tray and walked through the lunch line as the server plopped a single serving of food on his plate. Gohan looked at the disappointingly small portions before walking back out into the cafeteria to find a place to sit.

"Look you guys, there's Gohan! I'm going to call him over." Erasa told her friends as she stood and waved the boy over.

"Alright whatever…" Sharp spoke in a near disgusted tone.

Gohan smiled as he took the seat across from Erasa, "Hey! Thanks a lot! What's up?"

"Welcome to our table! We always sit here, everyone knows better than to try and sit here as the two strongest people in school have put claims on this spot," Erasa giggled.

"The strongest two in the school huh? Who are they?" Gohan asked innocently as he tried to slowly chew his food.

Sharp palm slammed the table loudly, "HELLO?! You're looking at them! I train on a daily basis here, and of course Videl is the daughter of Mr. Satan, so she's naturally gifted in strength."

Gohan sensed over Sharp's abilities and noticed that his energy was slightly higher than average. It probably was enough for most of the other students to notice a difference. Videl's energy was higher still, but he was pretty sure the highest either of them would be on the scouter scale would be a hundred. "Wow, that's cool, what kind of training do you do?"

Sharp calmed a little once he regained the spotlight, "Well I lift weights at the youth gym every afternoon after school even after each P.E. class to stay in the best shape I can. I can bench… three hundred pounds." Sharp slid his sleeve up his arm and flexed to show off his muscles, "I'm also studying several styles of mixed martial arts in courses that were designed by Videl's father, Hercule Satan himself. Pretty impressive huh?"

Gohan was staring at the empty plate of food on his tray with a disappointed gaze. He looked over at Sharp and noticed he still had a full plate of food, "Are you going to eat that?"

Sharp's eyes squinted in disdain as he slid his food closer to himself in a protective manner.

Gohan looked a little saddened but tried to perk up despite his hunger, "That is really cool, how much do most of the other kids around here lift?"

Sharp almost laughed, "Most of the guys in our class struggle to lift fifty pounds, though a few of the ones in better shape can lift between eighty and a hundred."

Gohan realized he was going to have to train to feel the difference between fifty and a few hundred pounds, it wasn't something he had thought about before.

"Do you know how much you can bench Gohan?" Erasa asked curiously. She had noticed that he was a little shorter than Sharp, but his clothes didn't show off anything which made it hard to guess if he worked out at all.

"I don't really know, I've never tested myself on that," Gohan answered honestly.

"We can definitely solve that sometime soon," Sharp snickered.

"You will play nice Sharp!" Erasa slapped Sharp on the arm and Sharp pretended it hurt.

It was endearing to Gohan to watch, "You guys really get along huh?"

"Yeah, they're pretty tight for twins," Videl offered.

"Twins huh?" Gohan appraised Erasa and Sharp a little closer.

"Yeah can't you tell?" Erasa leaned up against her brother, "I suppose it's a lot harder to tell since Sharp became the overgrown muscle head that he is now."

"Whatever," Sharp tried to look uninterested as Erasa and Videl both chuckled lightheartedly.

Once the moment was over, Gohan turned to look at Erasa next, "So what is it that you like to do?"

Erasa giggled and pulled up her bag. Videl laughed and Sharp just shook his head, "Oh boy here we go."

"Shut up you!" Erasa stuck out her tongue at him, "Well as you can tell these two are the brawn of the group, so that makes me the brain! Scary huh for someone to be as pretty as me to be mechanically inclined!"

Gohan looked confused as Erasa started pulling gadgets out of her bag, "Most of these aren't finished… and there are a lot of them that don't serve much purpose yet… But here watch!" She pulled out what looked to be a metal bird. After pressing a button on its underbelly the wings began flapping and it floated up into the air and flew around the room. "That was my science project from last year. Like I said it really doesn't serve any practical uses, but its programming allows it to know when it's within close proximity to objects and plot flight courses to avoid collisions! I'm still trying to get it to accept voice commands though…"

"Wow that's amazing Erasa!" Gohan looked over the bird excitedly, "You're a regular Bulma!"

"Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corp? You think so? I've actually idolized her for years now… I'm probably her biggest fan!" Erasa grinned proudly.

"Really? I bet she'd be pretty excited to hear… that…" Gohan mentally cursed himself for speaking without thinking.

"You think so?" Fortunately the others didn't seem to notice, "I bet she doesn't even have time to care about what other people think of her, her personal life is so guarded and no one gets into Capsule Corp anymore, especially since she got married. No one really knows who she married but the rumors for a while were that she married a prince from some far off country."

Gohan couldn't help but snort a little, "Sorry, rumors can just be crazy sometimes. But seriously I'd write her. I think everyone, even Bulma Briefs, appreciates a little fan mail."

A look of confidence crossed Erasa's face, "Alright then, I will!" The mechanical bird returned to the table and Erasa shut it off.

The group settled and Gohan looked to his last table mate, "So Videl, what do you do when you're not training?"

Videl smirked slightly as she leaned back in her seat, "Really training never ends. There's always something to be working on, even when sitting idle I try to always be doing calisthenics like dips on my chair and stuff like that. And now if I'm not training in combat techniques then I'm putting them into practice by busting up some bad guys around town."

"You're serious?" Gohan looked shocked, "You fight crime?"

Sharp laughed, "Don't act so concerned, Videl is the daughter of Mister Satan after all. There isn't a person around who could beat her at combat, besides her own dad that is."

Videl crossed her arms and nodded solemnly, "I've also got to be ready for the annual World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Annual?" Everyone again looked at Gohan like he was crazy.

Sharp leaned forward in near shock, "Have you been living under a rock for the past year? The W-MAT is like the biggest sporting event on the planet now!"

Videl nodded, "It used to be a regular thing but it was cancelled before we were born after the stadium was destroyed. After the Cell Games though it was brought back. Last year was the first official W-MAT, and of course my dad won. This year they're introducing a junior league where all competitors under the age of sixteen can participate. I'm planning on taking the junior title for sure."

Gohan smiled in genuine admiration, "You can bet I'll be cheering for you!"

"Thanks!" Videl grinned, "It's still months until then, so I have lots of training to keep up with."

This time Erasa turned the attention to Gohan, "So what about you mister homeschooled traveler? What other sorts of things do you do and what else have you seen?"

"Well… I uhh…" Gohan gulped not ready for more questions yet and tried to quell his nervousness, "I've been to the top of the Tsurumai-Tsuburi Mountains…"

"Wait… what?" Sharp interrupted, "The Tsurumai-Tsuburi Mountains have been off-limits to climbers for the last six years; how have you been up there?"

"It was about six years ago when I was up there…" Gohan realized too late that the explanation wouldn't help matters.

"Six years ago? When you were only six or seven years old?!" Erasa exclaimed out of shock. Gohan laughed nervously and scratched his head as he thought of a way out of this.

"We're trying to get to know you man, you shouldn't be making stuff up to try and show off, you get caught every time," Sharp stated with a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"…Right…" Gohan couldn't tell them about Doctor Wheelo, or the fight that he was part of at the lab which was probably the reason the mountain range is off-limits. He was about to change the subject when he noticed Videl was giving him a strange, almost unnerving look, "What is it?"

Videl scrunched her face as she looked over Gohan again, "I can normally tell really well when someone is lying. So why isn't it working?"

"Huh?" Gohan's eyes widened as he processed what she was saying.

"Nothing," Videl looked away in thought.

"Let's strike that from the record," Erasa said immediately and perked things back up, "The past can be weird with some people, so how about the future? What do you want to do Gohan?"

"Oh wow…" Gohan stopped and thought for a moment, "I guess I haven't thought about that much, I've always just gone along with what my mom's plans for me were until now…"

"What does she want you to be?" Erasa asked still cheerfully.

"She's always wanted me to be a scholar of some kind," Gohan kind of laughed as he remembered the fields his mom was always talking about, "As far as professions go, I've been pushed into everything from astrophysics to orthopedics."

Erasa's mouth flattened, it was just unusual to hear someone's parents pushing them into such a specific field, "Wow, an orthopedist, huh."

"I'm not sure what I actually _want_ to be yet though, something fun would be awesome," Gohan's friendly smile warmed the others back up.

"Yeah, I guess you're onto something there," Sharp agreed.

Lunch hour ended and the four of them returned to their class. Gohan realized history and language would be the areas of study that would challenge him the most as he only knew one language. At least he was pretty sure that Namekian and Vegecian wouldn't count…

Once the third quarter finished, the students were released to their P.E. class for the remainder of the day. Gohan knew for a fact he wouldn't have any issue passing P.E. little did he know he'd have a much more _apparent_ issue to deal with.

The moment Gohan stepped into the locker room he noticed that he was quite a bit more... _developed_ than most of his peers. A few of the thin boys hardly had any muscle development at all, and the chubbier ones had no visible muscle at the surface to speak of.

Gohan wasn't usually the bashful type, but the thought crossed his mind that he should change in the restroom stall to avoid unnecessary attention. Fortunately his PE clothes had purposefully been ordered a few sizes too large to avoid showing off more musculature than necessary.

Gohan finished dressing and stepped out of the stall as Sharp was walking by, "Oh no… don't tell me you're shy!"

With a nervous gulp, Gohan tried to play it off, "Maybe a little?"

"If you're going to be hanging out with me then we're going to have to get you over that fast. Maybe if we had you spend some time on the weight machines you'd fill out a bit." Sharp tugged on Gohan's sleeves, "I mean look at how thin you are, your clothes are just hanging off the bones man, no wonder you're bashful."

"Yeah huh?" Gohan laughed.

Sharp sighed, "Oh well, stick with me and at least no one _else_ will pick on you."

"Thanks a lot!" Gohan genuinely beamed as he followed Sharp outside.

The instructor blew a whistle and had everyone start with stretches and mild exercises like squats and sit-ups. Once the warm ups were done, the coach pulled out a soccer ball. "Everyone will be playing out on the field today. I want to see everyone playing hard! I'll be deducting points if I catch you lazily walking the field!" The coach blew his whistle and kicked the ball over to the grassy field.

The game started and all the kids started having a good time. Gohan found out that Sharp and Videl were usually pitted on different teams to make the games a bit more evenly matched. Gohan ended up on Videl's team this time who was a very aggressive player herself.

Sharp had the ball but didn't have a clear shot of the goal. He noticed Gohan standing off to the side and a mischievous smirk crossed his face, "Sorry pal, but you're in my way!" Sharp kicked the ball at Gohan intending for the ball to bounce off Gohan's head and give him a better trajectory.

Videl's mouth gaped open as she saw the ball fly across the field toward Gohan. She knew very well Sharp's kicks could hurt someone.

Gohan saw the ball coming toward him, and not thinking anything of it simply bounced it off his head and kicked it back to another team mate.

Sharp and Videl stared in shock causing Gohan to stop running and give them each funny looks as if to ask what was wrong. Neither said a thing so Gohan continued with the game.

After a few minutes the incident was forgotten and Videl was in a fierce scuffle with Sharp trying to get the ball over to the other side of the field. The score was tied and Sharp was all over her keeping her from progressing though. Most of her teammates were close by, but that put them in a bad position to score. Gohan was still on the other side of the field though.

Grinning to herself, Videl kicked the ball up and bounced it off her knee up into the air. Sharp could only watch disdainfully as Videl jumped high above him, her foot coming around as the ball came back down, "GOHAN!" She shouted.

Gohan saw Videl kick the ball and it flew across the entire field in his direction. She laid the shot out perfectly. As the ball flew toward him he saw the angle to drive the ball to make the goal. Nodding to himself and deciding to go for it, Gohan jumped up to intercept the ball. The ball was lined up exactly between him and the goal as Gohan drove his foot into the ball.

A loud "BOOM" was heard all across the field as the ball actually exploded on impact from Gohan's foot. Everyone out on the field stared awestruck as the dust from within the ball settled over the grass. Gohan's expression sank as he realized he had forgotten to hold back enough on that kick. The deflated ball sputtered through the air and landed flatly on the ground by the goal.

The coach blew his whistle and ran over to the ball. "Darn and that was a new one too… stupid defective products…" Gohan gulped as he noticed the material around where his foot made impact was stretched out. The coach looked at his watch, "Well it's only fifteen minutes until class ends anyway… Alright everyone, go change and you can go home early."

The class cheered and ran for the locker rooms. Videl caught up to Gohan, "Man it sucks that we had a defective ball… We would have won the game had that shot made it!"

Gohan was still nervous from the incident, "I still could have ended up missing the goal, but I know what you mean."

"Well we still made a pretty good team out there today," Videl held her fist out and Gohan got the idea to connect to it with his own. Videl smiled and headed off to the girl's locker room, "We'll see you tomorrow Gohan!"

Gohan nodded, "Yeah!" He called back to her sounding excited again. As Gohan went back to the stall and changed into his regular clothes again he started thinking about how things could really work out well. He just needed to keep his power in check at all times…

The room had cleared out and Gohan began his trek home. It was still early in the afternoon and it clicked in Gohan's head that maybe he should do something to give the city something else to talk about while he was still in town.

Grinning to himself Gohan snuck around a few buildings to find a corner no one would see him in. "Let's do this!" He pressed the button on his belt and in a flash of light his entire outfit and even his backpack was replaced by the suit Bulma had given him.

"Alright!" He jumped up and landed on the roof of a tall building to overlook the city. The city was a large metropolis now actually. Over the last two years it had grown immensely due to Mr. Satan calling this city his home. But with an explosion of people, that also meant crime was high on the rise.

"Let's see how this all works then," Gohan flipped up the control panel on the arm piece and activated the tuner to scan through all the police frequencies. For a few minutes there was nothing but regular traffic issues. Gohan was about to fly off and look around the city himself when a transmission caught his attention.

"10-80, 10-80!" A police officer shouted into the radio. "Requesting backup, high speed pursuit in progress, 10-20 Trident Highway and Reese's Lane, southbound."

Gohan jumped into the sky, pinpointed the location, and flew off to intercept.

The car on the highway was pushing over a hundred and fifty miles an hour with the civilian vehicles around it moving at just a third of that speed. Traffic was too heavy for police to get around the vehicle and also made it too dangerous to use any aggressive maneuvers to bump and take the car down.

Gohan found the chase as the highway formed a bridge and commuted over a large river. The driver, in his mad attempt to escape, sideswiped a car in the far lane and pushed it over the barricade at the edge of the bridge.

"Oh no!" Gohan powered up and flew in to try and catch the car on the edge. The car was dangling off the side of the bridge as it slid on its frame across the cement. Only a little ways further and the majority of the weight was off the bridge and the car turned over and began to fall.

Gohan flew in just as the car began to roll and caught the vehicle with ease. He lifted it back up to the bridge and set it down safely. The woman on the driver's seat was in tears from the event. Gohan had a chance to look through the window and noticed there were small children in the back seat of the car. This whole family could have been killed because of that reckless driver…

Gohan grit his teeth as anger swelled inside him and in burst of speed he soared across the bridge and landed in front of the speeding car. The driver didn't seem to care that someone was standing in front of him and only picked up more speed. Gohan flared his ki as the car approached. Instead of his aura flaring around him like normal, the suit seemed to reshape it into an ethereal aspect of a large winged dragon. It took Gohan by surprise as he looked up and noticed it himself, "Wow Bulma, you're amazing…" The driver of the car was unprepared for the sudden phenomena and slammed on the brakes too late. The car completely collapsed on itself upon impact with Gohan and the driver of the car was thrown through windshield by the sudden stop but he was spared injury as he was caught in the air by his shirt collar.

The police all slammed on their brakes behind the wrecked vehicle and looked over the stranger with the dragon aura holding their target.

The man trembled as he looked up at the glowing young man holding him in place. The police who exited their vehicles surrounded them, and the media hover vans caught up also, the reporters jumping out from a safe distance to cover this latest development.

Now calm. Gohan tried altering his voice to sound more threatening like Vegeta, "If you want to get yourself killed then fine… But if you're going to jeopardize the lives of the innocent then you better be ready to deal with me!" Gohan tossed the man over to the police so they could go lock him up.

The police still looked startled by the armored figure standing before them, "Umm… thank you… sir…? But umm… who are you?"

Gohan smirked knowing that if he was going to pull this off he had to uphold at least the appearance of the epitome of confidence, "I am that which can no longer lay dormant and watch the corruption of society tear itself apart. I am the answer to those who _wish_ so desperately for peace. I am The Dragon."

The reporters started pushing their way through, questions blaring out in a jumbled mess. Gohan didn't let them get very close before he powered up further causing his dragon aura to glow brighter and flap its wings and he flew off into the sky.

Within minutes the newscast was being broadcast on nearly every channel. Gohan tuned in on his visor, "This just in! A super hero calling himself "The Dragon" has appeared in Satan City!" Gohan changed the channel, "…called "The Dragon" ended a high speed chase on the freeway before any serious casualties…" He changed the channel again, a smile on his face at how fast news was spreading. "Take a look at these pictures. These photos were captured just last week at the Grand Mills Mall during the robbery. Every picture of the hero who stopped the bandits is distorted by a blinding golden light. Now look at the video taken just moments ago when this new hero "The Dragon" stopped a dangerous high speed chase on the freeway bridge. Our video technicians are running overlays to be sure, but current speculation is this is the same golden light which means it is quite probable that if this Dragon has any connections to actual mythical dragons that he may have been woken up by Wednesday's earthquake." Gohan couldn't help but laugh as the gossip channel was releasing their theories.

Gohan floated higher up in the sky above the city almost laughing to himself as he flared his ki out further causing the dragon aura to grow bigger, "I am The Dragon!"

Before heading home Gohan made two more stops as The Dragon. The police scanner picked up a standoff against some armed villains who Gohan dispatched quickly and then on his way out of town came across some teenagers making a beer run on a convenience store.

Day one and things were looking good. Gohan flew back home thinking this whole school thing could turn out to be a lot of fun.

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**End Chapter**

It was really challenging coming up with a super hero for Gohan to adopt into. I knew there was no way I was going to keep Saiyaman around but I'm really enjoying how this is turning out so far. I hope other Gohan fans are approving of the changes.

And yes I made quite a few changes to Sharpner and Erasa's characters as well. I'm going with the idea that Sharpner's full name is still Sharpner, but that at least at this point in his life all his friends call him Sharp as a nickname, except Videl who sometimes calls him Sharps. I just had to change his hairstyle because… did you see it in the show? So yeah, blond crew cut because he's an athletic fanatic and that's the style most people into extreme calisthenics go with. I'm sure I'm not the first person to make Erasa the smart one of the group, I just got the idea that having Bulma around balanced out Goku's group very well so I wanted to keep a similar mechanic going. And yeah they're twins because… pencils?

There's no way school couldn't be awkward for our half saiyan hero so I hope this chapter was enjoyable.

Please leave a comment and I will get the next chapter out soon!


	3. A House of Cards

Welcome Back!

Once again I have a few thank yous I want to throw out to reviewers from the last chapter:

Ern Estine 13624 - Thanks a lot!

Scout - That's a huge compliment, thank you very much. I definitely don't intend for Gohan to be angsty, though he will have to deal with some trauma. I don't intend for it to be a focus of the story at all but I intend to make him a little more human in his approach to his emotions.

Penelope - This is the first time I've ever gone with this pairing, so I'm glad it's working out well!

SeanHicks4 - I thought it was unusual as far stories using it. But Toriyama-san has tended to theme names in relationships. I was looking at Mr. Satan and Videl (Devil) having a sort of demonic name theme and realized Erasa and Sharpner are a bit of a similar theme and that they've never been shown as being romantically involved in any official capacity. Their similar features and age led me to go with the twins idea.

TyrannosaurusRex - Then? We passed then. When? Just now. We're at now, now. Go back to then. When? Now. Now? Now. I can't. Why? We missed it. When? Just now. When will then be now? Soon. Ok... I might be a bit of a super nerd lol... it might be impossible for me to make a main character who isn't at least a little nerdy, but he'll definitely be less awkward as he grows.

wheathermangohanssj4 - I'm going to have to reply on Tumblr so I can keep my thoughts straight on this one. Even negative comments help me out since it forces me to review my ideas and solidify what I'm doing so definitely thank you!

Dyton - You have brightened my day! Thank you so much giving me the mental image of Gohan being shot at his class out of a cannon!

Penelope again (hehe) - Thank you very much for your support! I'm totally open to constructive criticism, after all I still want to improve my style and story telling ability. I fully understood going into something like this where I was going to be changing so much of the core story that not everyone was going to be happy with the changes. I'm sure I'll upset plenty more people before I'm done. For the most part I consider myself to be along for the ride as well while riding a story as I can urge my characters to go a certain way but most of the time they end up doing their own thing, so that helps me not take criticism personally. I have no intention of changing my style but I've definitely found a few points that I should keep in mind while writing.

ICHeart - I'm actually glad, I definitely see this as a character weakness as well that needs to be overcome. I think with time he might just do it.

Chosen To Die - Yeah this has been sitting my list of story ideas for a long time along with so many others... Glad you're enjoying!

duskrider - Glad you enjoyed it!

And thanks to everyone reading!

There is still a little bit of groundwork to get through but things should get a little more exciting today. Hope you all enjoy and see you at the bottom!

* * *

**Chapter 3: A House of Cards **

* * *

The early morning hours were calm. Streets weren't overly crowded by rush hour traffic yet as most people were still preparing for their work day. People on the street were out jogging and walking their pets on this typical serene morning.

The peace was shattered by a thundering crash as a bus rammed through the wall on the side of a bank. The door opened and a plethora of masked men armed with assault weaponry piled out onto the bank floor.

"EVERYONE ON THE GROUND! YOU! EMPTY THE VAULT! NOW!" The threatened bank clerks did as they were told, staying down and silent or dumping the bank's possessions into bags for the criminals.

The crooks started hauling the bags of cash back to the bus where one guard stood at the back watching the bags pile up.

The back door of the bus opened, "Banks don't open until eight!" a girl jumped the guard before he had a chance to react.

"Did you hear something?" one of the robbers inside the bank asked his cohorts.

Glass shattered everywhere as a body was thrown through the bus's windshield. The crooks all turned and opened fire on their own bus. Hundreds of rounds of ammo were expelled, completely riddling the side of the bus in holes, blowing out the tires, and shattering all the remaining windows.

From the vault, the leader of the thieves shouted, "Did you get him?"

The door to the luggage compartment flew out the windscreen with someone behind it using it as shield, "Her!" Videl used the door as a weapon and swung it into the head of the nearest bandit and immediately rushed the next. She plowed right through the man, rolling over him with the door and leaving him pinned underneath it as she rolled off and dashed for cover behind a marble column as the others opened fire again.

There were still about five of the men left and they slowly approached the column from different angles as they kept hailing bullets over the structure. Videl looked from one side to the other, calculating where the best angle to strike from would be.

The horrible sound of twisting metal brought the firefight to a halt. Everyone stopped to look at the bus and noticed it was contorting. All at once it was ripped from the hole in the wall. Dust settled from the forced extraction and through the new window to the outside world everyone saw the figure in the dragon armor holding the bus above his head with a single arm.

"What… the…" The bus was dropped and The Dragon entered the bank calmly and simply slapped the closest crook out of his way. The others immediately opened fire on the newcomer. Videl noticed this Dragon didn't even try to move. He just stood there as bullets rained down on him. She gasped as she realized the bullets weren't even touching him. The red jewel like object on the front of his armor was pulsing almost in sequence with the shots fired. He walked right through the stream of bullets, up to the next man firing at him and simply pulled the gun from the man's hands.

The next crook nearby pulled out a hunting knife from his pants, "Dodge this then!" He dashed in and swung his knife at The Dragon. The knife blade was caught near the hilt and simply snapped off between three fingers, like a twig. A spinning roundhouse sent the man into a wall where he slid to the ground unconscious.

Legitimately scared, the next crook drew a grenade, pulled the pin, and lobbed it across the room. The Dragon reached out, caught the projectile and tightly closed his hands around it. A muted boom sound echoed through the room, not unlike a loud burst from a subwoofer. The Dragon separated his hands and brushed away the ashes of the device.

"No way…" Was all the man could say before a knockout blow landed in his gut.

The man in the vault witnessed all his cohorts go down and tried sneaking out the back. The Dragon noticed the man's movement and held out a hand in his direction. The Dragon didn't have to worry about him though as a figure was already chasing after the man. Videl caught the man from behind and swiped his legs out from under him, kicked his weapon away, and locked his throat to the ground with her knee.

"I give up!" the man shouted in a fearful, shaky voice.

Videl quickly tied the man up and noticed the crooks in the lobby were already secure. "Hey!" She called out to The Dragon who was already walking out the hole in the wall.

The Dragon glanced at her over his shoulder but didn't say anything. Videl was slightly unnerved but approached, "I didn't need your help you know, and your carelessness would have let that guy in the vault get away if I hadn't been here."

The Dragon looked forward then back at Videl again. In a gruff voice he spoke, "Good thing I don't have to be as careful with you around then."

Videl saw something on The Dragon's visor light up. "There's a hijacking in progress at twenty second and Manderville." The Dragon half smirked at Videl, "See you again soon!" He floated off the ground and then flew up through the sky at near supersonic speeds.

Videl blinked a few times in astonishment having just watched The Dragon in person.

The police and news crews arrived almost at the same time and began questioning the witnesses. Videl was still staring at the sky when she realized a camera was on her and questions were being asked, "Miss Satan, is it true The Dragon was here and lifted this entire bus with one hand? Do you have any comments on his crime fighting ability?"

Videl suddenly realized she was blushing and clenched her fist to try and hide behind a layer of frustration, "The Dragon? He was here and definitely has an interesting bag of tricks. But tricks are only going to get you so far in my book. I'll never trust a guy who hides behind secrets and masks. You hear me _Mr. _Dragon? I've now made it my mission to find out just who the hell you are."

"We're getting reports that The Dragon has been sighted at the other end of town stopping a hijacking, we're heading that way now!" Videl watched in astonishment as the news crew packed up everything and sped off into the morning traffic.

"Game on Dragon, you'll be seeing me again really soon, I guarantee it…" Videl picked up her backpack and continued on to school.

Class was already in session when the door opened and Videl ran in, "Running late again today Videl?" Mrs. Holly asked with a halfhearted smile having come to expect it from the daughter of Mr. Satan.

"Sorry, Ma'am, there was a bank robbery on my way in." Videl quickly took her seat to cause minimal disruption to the class.

"I saw you on the news!" Erasa beamed once Videl sat down, "Is it true you got to meet The Dragon in person?"

Videl sighed, "Yes…"

"Oh come on, tell us what he's like!" Erasa urged enthusiastically.

Everything was quiet as Videl thought for a moment.

The energy dropped from Erasa's voice, "If you really don't want to talk about it then that's alright."

"No it's not that," Videl closed her eyes and thought hard before pulling out a notebook and pen, "I actually really need to get these details down while they're fresh in my head."

"You're profiling him? Awesome!" Sharp leaned forward getting in on the conversation, "How can we help?"

"Ask me questions about him and let me see if I can answer them," Videl urged.

Erasa nodded, "Alright then, is he as cute in person as he is in the newscasts that have been popping up all week?"

Videl blushed slightly as she stared at Erasa, "Subjective questions won't help this process."

Sharp shook his head, "Let's start with the basics, age, height, weight, defining features or birthmarks."

The pen in Videl's hand started writing away, "You're right, he wasn't that much taller than I am, in fact without that helmet he probably would be my same height around four foot ten or eleven."

"Four ten?" Erasa repeated, "well, he's a short one… or…"

"Or… he's about the same age as the rest of us…" Videl deduced.

"Two teenage heroes in one town huh? What are the chances of that?" Gohan piped in.

"The city is growing a lot, people are flooding here from everywhere, so we shouldn't discount any possibilities," Videl continued to stare at her notebook in thought. "He was masking his voice to sound hoarse, and it wasn't pulled off that well, so that also builds into the theory that he could be really young."

Gohan tried not to obviously sweat drop as he listened.

"Next is weight…" Videl thought more, "This one is also going to be hard to figure out. He wasn't very big, but that suit didn't leave much to the imagination… This is a guy with a _lot_ of lean muscle and very low body fat."

Erasa whistled in approval and Gohan tried not to blush.

Videl shook her head, "Sharp, how much do you weigh?"

Sharp flexed for her, "A hundred and thirty pounds of pure muscle, baby."

"You're probably a little bit taller than The Dragon," Videl pictured the two of them, "so I'm going to guess he weighs between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and forty."

"You think this Dragon guy has more muscle than I do?" Sharp looked offended.

"It's really hard to tell you know? That's why I'm giving it a range," Videl wrote it out on the notebook, "Alright, so defining features… what were his defining features?"

"Could you tell what color his hair was, or maybe his eyes?" Gohan suggested.

Videl shook her head, "He was wearing a helmet that blocked his head for sure, and his eyes were behind a red visor, so no way to tell what color they were through that."

"That's not much to work with…" Sharp admitted.

"The suit…" Videl turned the page and started making a different set of notes, "This suit was like nothing I've ever seen before; it stops bullets, tunes into police frequencies, projects that big dragon hologram, and flies…" Videl quickly jotted all that down, "Whoever this is had to have a _lot_ of money to be able to afford this gear."

Erasa grinned, "So the person we're looking for is a boy around our age, recently moved to the city, with a great body, and a lot of money, sounds like the list just became pretty narrow!"

Sharp snapped his fingers excitedly, "With your access to city hall, pulling these kinds of records shouldn't be too hard."

"And once you have the data I can set up a search query to filter out most of the data that we're looking for automatically!" Erasa rubbed her hands together like she was plotting something, "I can't wait to meet this guy, if you know what I mean."

Videl crossed her arms and grinned, "Sounds like we have a plan then."

Gohan leaned forward to better see everyone, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Videl thought about it for a moment, "Actually, if you really want to help then make a log and start keeping track of Dragon sightings. Date, time, location, I want to see if maybe there's a pattern to his appearances."

Gohan nodded, "Sure I can do that."

"Great, then we all have a job to do," Videl smiled enthusiastically.

"Wait, you didn't give me anything to do!" Sharp complained.

"Oh yeah," Videl thought, "Once we figure out who he might be and where he might be then I'll need you to come with me to help unmask him."

"Awesome!" Sharp seemed to like the plan, "I'll hold him down while you pull the bucket off his head, we can't lose!"

The others returned to their morning assignments while Gohan chewed on his eraser in deep thought of these recent developments.

The class broke for lunch and a huge group of students began running to the front of the school, "What's going on?" Sharp asked as kids were bumping through them in an excited hurry.

One kid managed to turn around when he noticed Videl's group, "You didn't tell us he was coming today!" and then he kept running.

"What?" Videl pushed through everyone now also curious as to what was going on. "Oh no…"

"What?" Gohan asked worriedly.

"YEAHHH!" A behemoth cry echoed over the school yard as a huge man stepped out of a limousine.

The entire courtyard of the school broke out into a massive cheer as Mr. Satan marched forward, "Thank you! Now where is my little princess?"

Videl sighed and approached her father.

"There's my precious girl!" Mr. Satan walked through the crowd and lifted Videl off her feet and swung her into the air, "Oh daddy is so proud of you!"

"Daaaa~d…" Videl moaned, "You're embarrassing me!"

"I can't help it sweetie pie," Mr. Satan sat Videl down on his shoulder, "I heard you helped stop a bunch of bank robbing thugs this morning and just had to come tell you how much I love you!"

Gohan watched the antics between Videl and her father with some interest, but found his spirit sinking. From her vantage point on her dad's shoulder, Videl was one of the few people who noticed Gohan slinking away from the crowd with his head slouched.

"Look it's the mayor!" Some of the kids pointed out as another man stepped out of the limousine Mr. Satan had arrived in.

The mayor walked across the yard to Mr. Satan and Videl, "I wanted to come personally today and present you with this certificate of bravery and honor. Thanks to upstanding citizens such as yourselves the people of Satan City feel safe. It won't be long before the villains of our town decide they best move along elsewhere while they're still capable of moving their limbs!"

Videl reached down and accepted the certificate without being let down from her father's shoulder, "Thank you Mr. Mayor, it's an honor as always to do what I can for those in need."

Mr. Satan widened his stance and laughed loudly, "That's my Videl, the true hero of our city!"

The crowd cleared once Mr. Satan and the mayor left. "That is amazing Videl, you're finally being recognized for how awesome and brave you are!" Erasa cheered as they returned to the school building.

"This is just the beginning, someday you're going to be more famous than even your dad is!" Sharp joined in the praise as well.

"Thanks…" Videl sighed, "I actually wish he wouldn't make such a big deal out of it like this."

"There's nothing wrong with getting a little glory every now and then," Sharp got a bit starry eyed, "What I'd do to have people shout my name like that!"

"As if," Erasa teased.

Videl walked off, looking down hallways as if she were searching for something.

"Is everything alright Videl," Erasa noticed Videl had been quiet since her dad left, even for her, and was growing concerned.

"Yeah, fine," Videl looked down a few more halls, "Why don't you guys get our food before lunch ends, I'll catch up in just a bit." Videl ran off before getting an answer.

Videl ran through a few more halls, still not finding what she was looking for. She almost ran past the service stairs heading up to the roof until she noticed the door at the top was slightly ajar by the trickle of light beaming through. She stopped running and slowly made her way up the stairs.

Gohan was slouched against the wall of one of the maintenance shacks, his knees pulled up to his face.

"Gohan?" It wasn't often that people snuck up on Gohan, but his thoughts had been elsewhere. He looked up at Videl with a start and Videl noticed the tears running down his face. Videl could see the pain and heartache evident on her friend and her emotions immediately softened, "Gohan, what's wrong?"

Quickly, Gohan tried wiping his face with his sleeve, "Oh, it's… it's nothing…"

"Liar," Videl sat down next to Gohan, "It sure doesn't seem like nothing."

Gohan got a little tense and nervous. He was quiet for a minute collecting himself before smiling again and speaking, "You get along really well with your dad, huh?"

Videl laughed, "We get along alright, he's much more of a show off in public than I care for him to be though."

"I think you enjoy it a little though," Gohan grinned.

Videl tried to look grumpy but eventually cracked a smile, "Maybe just a little bit."

"That's good, you really should just let the attention and praise happen, you never know how long it'll be before the next time." Gohan finally relaxed his posture, "Come on, let's get some food before it's too late." Gohan jumped up and held his hand out to help Videl to her feet. Normally Videl would never accept help for something so trivial, but this time she took Gohan's hand and let herself be pulled up.

Once school was over, The Dragon found himself just floating high above the city, looking down at the busy streets and taking everything in. "I suppose my random appearances are going to have be a bit more random from here on out huh?" Gohan looked from side to side, "Alright, let's not make this easy on anyone!"

The Dragon appeared over the sky on the far west side of town just flying over the streets. A moment later he was on the east side stopping another high speed pursuit, in the next moment it was the south west side where he interrupted a drug deal.

The scanner in Gohan's helmet went off as he started to tie up the law breakers, "All units, 10-43 hostage situation at sixth and Henderson Ave."

Police had the entire area blocked off with at least twelve squad cars. SWAT was in position and the captain holding the megaphone was shaking his head, "Release your hostages and we'll discuss your demands."

A man in the window with his arm around a woman's throat and a gun to her head shouted back, "You get all these fuckin pigs off my street first, then maybe we can talk!"

The captain sighed and put the bull horn down, "Do we have a clean shot?"

"Negative sir," one of the SWAT members replied.

"Looks like you could use a hand," Videl stepped through the barricade and approached the captain.

"Videl Satan!" The captain's somber expression immediately lifted, "Yes, the gunman is refusing to talk to any of us and he's got that woman in too tight a grip for us to get a shot in without risking her life."

"Understood, can I borrow your horn?" Videl held out her hand.

"Of course," The captain handed the mic over.

Videl messed with the volume first and then pointed it in the direction of the window where the gunman was, "Hello, my name is Videl Satan, I'm well known in this city and would make an extremely valuable hostage," The police all stared wide eyed at Videl, "If you release your hostages you can take me in their place."

A tense moment ticked by but the gunman made no response. Videl held up the horn again, "I'm unarmed and coming over so we can make the exchange."

Videl handed the bullhorn back to the police captain, "Videl, this isn't a good idea, even for you."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine as long as I can get close enough," Videl smiled and approached the house with her hands up.

The door was unlocked as Videl pushed it open and entered. Immediately there was the sound of children crying, "I said shut the hell up!" the gruff voice of the gunman echoed through the house. Videl made her way to the den where everything was happening.

"Don't come any closer!" The man clicked the gun at the woman's head and tightened his grip on her. He was practically lifting her off the ground with his arm wrapped around her neck. In the corner of the room were two small children, a little boy and a slightly older girl.

Videl kept her hands raised, "It's okay, I don't have any weapons, like I said, you let this family go and you can have me as a hostage in their place. My father will give you whatever you want to have me returned safely."

Videl took a step forward, "I SAID STAY BACK!" the gun clicked against the woman's head again.

"Money, or maybe something more untraceable like jewels?" Videl scanned for an approachable opening that would keep the hostages out of danger, "A helicopter to escape in? You name it and my father will get it for you if I'm your hostage."

"Shut up, just shut up!" The man yelled angrily, "I want all of you to just shut the hell up!" The gun was being pressed against the woman's head hard enough that it broke the skin and a trickle of blood began running down her face. It was also obvious she was having difficulty breathing.

"Please daddy! Stop hurting mommy!" The little boy tried to jump up but the girl held him still.

"Daddy…" Videl looked at the man in shock, "This is _your_ family?"

"SHUT UP! I SAID FOR ALL OF YOU TO SHUT UP!" The man's finger squeezed the trigger tighter.

A loud boom went off before Videl could move. It took a second before Videl's senses returned to her and she realized the boom wasn't from gun fire. One finger at a time, the gun was removed from the man's hand with several bone breaking snaps by The Dragon. Once the pain registered the man dropped his wife from his other arm and she immediately ran to her children.

The Dragon flipped the man around and pinned him to the wall.

Videl made sure the woman and her kids were escaping and then turned her attention to the other two in the room. It looked like the situation was under control but then she noticed the Dragon's back heaving up and down under heavy breathing.

"_You're… their father_?" The Dragon whispered out much more threateningly than his hoarse voice had ever before conveyed.

"Please… please don't hurt me!" The man begged.

"Ummm… Mr. uhh… Dragon?" Videl took a few steps closer.

"Do you know what a father is?" The Dragon lifted the man from the ground by his shirt collar, "A father is the protector of his family! A father would sacrifice himself for his family! A father would ensure his family is healthy and happy!" The Dragon's breathing became faster, "A father would never hurt his wife and children! A father would never make his family believe he doesn't care! And a father WOULD NEVER ABANDON HIS FAMILY!"

The man, still lifted off the ground in The Dragon's grasp, literally quaked in terror.

"You need to put him down Dragon," Videl stood strong to the Dragon's side.

The Dragon turned to look at her and she could see that through the red visor this hero's eyes were shedding tears, and the look on his face held pain.

"Dragon…" The Dragon's eyes cleared as if he suddenly realized what he was doing. He threw the man to the floor. The man immediately started cradling his broken hand. He wasn't going to pose any more of a threat.

The SWAT team started moving into the house allowing the two city heroes to leave. The Dragon began to leave without saying a word and Videl chased after him, "Dragon, wait! Please!"

Sparing only a side glance over his shoulder, The Dragon answered, "Thank you." A light built up taking the form of a dragon and in a flash he was in the sky and flying away.

Videl stood and watched until the trail of light completely vanished.

Gohan landed and hurriedly entered his house, "I'm home!"

"Hi sweetie, dinner's almost ready," Chichi called from the kitchen.

"I'm really not hungry!" Chichi was actually startled by that statement as she heard her son's footsteps run down the hall. She was about to go find out what was wrong when the footsteps started coming back, "Hey mom…"

"Yes hon?" Chichi tried to keep a calm face even though a multitude of questions was running through her head.

"What dad did… was it..." Gohan started.

Chichi's own heart pattered at the subject, "Was… Goku?"

Gohan shook his head, "Sorry, forget I said anything." He ran off again.

With a sigh Chichi sat down at the kitchen table and buried her face in her hands, "The things we've put our son through Goku… Can't you see he still needs you?"

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**End Chapter**

I'm not a fan of Gohan being really angsty about dealing with his father's death so that's about as bad as it's going to get for a while. He has the complication of dealing with Goku not being around from several angles; not just that his actions caused his father's death but that his father chose not to be returned to life on his own. This should stir some complicated emotions in a person.

Also the first bit of conflict is building in Gohan's social life which should create an interesting balancing act.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you think!

'Til next time!


	4. In the Groove

Welcome back to another chapter of Legend!

Last time on Legend... Crime was running rampant in the fast growing metropolis of Satan City, fortunately for the peaceful citizens two budding heroes have been working hard to make the city safe for all. The Dragon and Videl Satan worked together to halt a bank robbery. Afterwards Videl tried to pull her memories of her encounter with The Dragon to profile him in hopes of unmasking his true identity. Before much could be resolved, Mr. Satan and the mayor made an appearance at Orange Star Middle Academy to award Videl with a certificate of bravery. Although witnessing the affection between Videl and her father seemed to put Gohan in a nostalgic mood. By the end of the day a hostage situation took precedence in which a man was holding his own family at gunpoint. Enraged by the cowardly action The Dragon let the man have a few choice words, but Videl might have noticed that not all these words appeared to be intended for the gunman. Will Gohan be able to continue normal school boy facade while dealing with underlying trauma as well as his friends working towards unmasking his alter ego? Find out on Dragon Ball Legend!

And let me thank the reviewers from the last chapter!

wheathermangohanssj4 - Not to worry, I'm good at multitasking!

Ern Estine 13624 - Thank you!

Penelope - Thanks again for an awesome review! I've been working on pumping out word count rather than focusing on quality of grammar and such, so I'm glad it's worked well so far and I apologize for any errors that will be present. I will definitely strive to do the best job I can though! I'm really glad you're enjoying things so far!

duskrider - I really don't want it to be a major character focus of his by any means, at least not yet, but after as much as he's gone through Gohan should have some demons in his head by now lol.

Dyton - It's difficult trying to hit the balance of keeping Gohan's character in tact that isn't affected by anything while also trying to evolve him into a relatable human. One of the reasons I'm starting it in this age group is to have the freedom to play with that bit of rebellion that comes from coming in to one's own. I liked the award ceremony scene also, it kind of played out a lot of possible scenarios as to why Gohan might have been upset, and definitely the image of the boy who saved the world slinking back unnoticed while the man who stole his credit his cheered right in front of him is a powerful image.

SaintMichael95 - Friends can only get so close before they start noticing things. Keeping secrets should become more and more challenging as time goes on... especially one like that lol.

unpredictable cupcake - Thank you!

superfly - It's so cool to see a ZAT fan again! I miss that story a lot and still have plenty of plans for how it's going to progress next. I think you're right, this story is a lot like practice for the next ZAT segment, but I still want it to stand out. It's been a long time since ZAT went up, thanks a lot for still reading my stories! And I'll try to refrain from having Vegeta snicker from here on out. I think I was hurrying through my word choice when I was going for something like a smirk.

Guest - Thank you!

Hope you all enjoy, now on to the story!

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**Chapter 4: In the Groove**

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"All month long people have been asking "Who is The Dragon?", "Where does he come from?", and "How did he come to possess the amazing powers he's demonstrated time and time again?" KSAT is digging deep and talking to the experts to bring you information you want to know. Stay tuned next week for our four part series on 'Flight of The Dragon'."

"Hmm…" Gohan hummed with slight interest as he shut off his TV tuner. He had already made a few stops as The Dragon this morning and was almost to school. Gohan typically landed on the roof of the school or nearby alleyways to change back to his normal clothes. There were people on the roof this morning during his flyby, so he chose a nearby alley instead.

Once he was sure no one was around, Gohan flicked the switch on his belt and was immediately changed into his school clothes. He walked out onto the crowded street in time to see Videl run by with arm full of papers, "Hey Videl!"

"Gohan! Great!" Videl dashed over to him and dropped a few stacks of what she was carrying into his arms, "Follow me, and hurry! This is important!"

"Uhh, okay!" Gohan wasn't given much choice as Videl immediately started running again.

Once on the school grounds Gohan realized Videl had run right past the classroom, "Isn't class going to start soon?"

"Don't worry, we have special permission to miss a few classes," Videl spoke with utmost seriousness.

Videl opened up the door to a room that was never used for much and found Sharp and Erasa already inside, "Thank you guys for agreeing to this meeting."

"Of course!" Erasa smiled happily.

"Right…" Gohan was still confused as to what was going on.

"This is our first meeting as the _Official_ Dragon Unmasking Society of Orange Star Middle," Videl announced.

"Whoop-whoop!" Sharp cheered.

"Official huh?" Gohan asked.

"Yup, the principal gave us an official sanction last night at my dad's request. As long as we keep our grades up we'll be allowed to hold meetings during school time," Videl seemed really excited about this.

"Wow," Gohan had more of a mock enthusiasm about him.

"The local media has started a huge campaign to discover more information on The Dragon, and I want to beat them to it," Videl stated their mission, "My dad agrees that if we're able to find out who The Dragon is before the investigators that it will solidify our reputations in the city."

"So what have we got so far?" Sharp was anxious to get to work.

"We actually have a theory on who The Dragon might be!" Videl pulled a few of the documents she had Gohan holding out.

"We… We do?" Gohan tried not to sound nervous as Videl laid out everything on the table.

"Indeed we do!" Videl unrolled a huge map of the city and started setting overlays on top of it, "From the data Gohan collected on Dragon sightings, it's almost like The Dragon is trying to throw off anyone tracking his movement." The overlays depicted the location of a Dragon sighting along with date and time, "There's a Dragon sighting on the east side of town, and then almost immediately another sighting on the west side of town over twenty miles away. And this will go back and forth on a regular basis. Do you know what this means?"

Gohan looked to Sharp who shrugged, "That he's… really fast?"

"A Harrier Jet isn't that fast," Videl circled the two most dense areas of Dragon sightings, "The more likely scenario is that there are two of them!"

"Oh!" Gohan perked up, "I guess that does make sense."

"Erasa was also able to run the queries on the data I got from city hall," It seemed most of the papers Videl was carrying were city hall records, "Thanks, this was big!"

"All I had to do was write the script and the computer does the rest, no biggie!" Erasa replied modestly.

"Well thanks to this we were able to narrow down a number of families who have moved to Satan City recently who have the kind of money needed to make something like the Dragon suit." Videl threw all the papers but eight off the table, "And out of these families, only one of them has a pair of boys our age." Videl pushed the other papers off the table for dramatic effect, "These two, Wally and Oakley Timbers

"Twins?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Cousins," Videl clarified, "But they're almost the exact same age, and they definitely meet the physical requirements we're looking for, the right height and sports fanatics."

"This would be really easy if it turns out they go to our school here," Sharp looked over their pictures.

Videl shook her head, "Unfortunately not, they both attend the St. Ajora Preparatory Academy, the richest school in the city."

"I've heard a lot of good things about that school, I kinda wondered why you chose to come here instead of there," Erasa thought out loud.

Videl shook her head, "They're just a bunch of whiny rich brats who don't know the meaning of hard work and dedication… for the most part."

"For the most part huh?" Sharp caught on the change of Videl's pitch.

"I have to know for sure…" Videl looked over everything.

Gohan got the feeling she wasn't talking about The Dragon's identity for once, "How do you want to do this?"

"The Timbers are throwing a charity ball this weekend, I'm going to get us some invitations," Videl grinned mischievously.

"I take it we won't be going to dance," Erasa twirled for effect.

"We'll probably have to make a show like we are, but as soon as we get the chance we'll break off and investigate these two and see what we can turn up," Videl pulled out the Satellite view of the Timbers mansion, "The party will most likely be centered in the courtyard here. Once everyone is distracted enough in that then we'll start searching the rest of the house."

Erasa latched onto Gohan's arm, "Well I'm not taking my brother as my date, so I claim Gohan!" Gohan blinked and tried not to blush.

"That's fine, it'll make the best cover story if I take Sharp and need invitations for his sister and her date as well," Videl made a note of the plan.

Sharp turned around to not let the others see his excited face as he whispered to himself, "I get to go on a date with Videl! Yes!"

Videl noticed the strange turn Sharp made, "Yo Sharps, everything alright?"

"Yeah, no problems here," Sharp turned back around and responded in his most serious tone.

"Good," Videl put a few more pictures up, "Also this party has a Swing Era theme, so everyone needs to be in era specific costume."

Gohan hummed while looking at the pictures Videl brought for example.

Erasa noticed Gohan's apprehension as he looked over the pictures, "Do you have any clothes like that Gohan?"

"Not really," Gohan shook his head.

"Not to worry," Erasa giggled, "We can go pick some clothes out together so we match!"

"Outfits that match would make the most sense, most couples will probably be there in coordinated colors," Videl agreed.

"Then it's settled!" Erasa tugged on Gohan's sleeve, "We'll go shopping after school today!"

"Sure," Gohan grinned nervously.

"Sharp and I will also try picking out something suitable for the party then, I'm pretty sure my dad has some old clothes that would work great for this," Videl started thinking about what she owned that would work as well.

Again Sharp turned around, "A date with Videl, and I get to maybe have Mr. Satan's hand-me-downs? This is a dream!"

"Are you sure you're okay Sharps?" Videl wasn't really concerned as much as just annoyed by her friend acting weird.

"Never better!" Sharp looked over the mess of papers on the table, "This is officially our room now right?"

Videl nodded, "Yeah, I have the key and everything."

"Aw'right, then let's organize these a bit better," Sharp picked up the charts and started pinning them up on the boards.

"Oh good idea!" Erasa took the data sheets and pinned them close to the charts they related to.

Gohan looked around the room and ran to the back where there was a supply cabinet.

"What's up Gohan?" Videl called across the room.

"I just wanted to check if…" Gohan fished through a few items, "Yes! Here's some. I've always wanted to do this!" Gohan ran back to the boards at the front with a ball of string and tacked up the string connecting the current theory of documents together.

They all laughed as they stepped back and took a look at their 'conspiracy' board.

Erasa nodded and smiled at what they accomplished, "We need a cool name."

Everyone was quiet for a minute until Erasa snapped her fingers, "Well we are now the official Dragon un-_masking_ society, how about MASK? For Mystery Assessment and Solving… _K_lub?

Everyone shook their heads and laughed. Videl held her fist out, "Alright then, MASK, move out!"

With a plan about to be put into action the rest of the school day moved at a snail's crawl. By the time Gohan changed out of his PE clothes he found Erasa waiting for him at the front of the school, "Hey!"

Gohan caught up to Erasa and they started walking, "Hi, so where are we going to find Swing clothes?"

"It shouldn't be too hard actually, there are a few stores I have in mind that do costumes and stuff." Erasa excitedly grabbed Gohan's hand and sped up, "Let's go!"

Sharp was following Videl to her house, "You know… this is the first time I've ever come over to your house."

"I know…" Videl stopped short of the gate to her property and put her back up against the wall. She slowly peered around the brick pillar and looked into the yard.

"…Is everything okay?" Sharp asked nervously as Videl started sneaking about.

"You're going to have to keep up and stay quiet!" Videl ordered as she made a stealthy dash into the yard, keeping near the wall. Videl checked the security system once they reached the door, "Good, it's armed, that means dad isn't home."

"That's a good thing?" Sharp asked still feeling confused as to what was going on.

"Of course, do you have any idea what my dad would do to a boy he found inside his house?" Videl opened the door and continued before Sharp could process any of his own imagery, "He'd immediately assume that a boy in the house was dating me and then he'd beat the tar out of said boy just to prove a point."

"Oh…" Sharp couldn't help but picture a furious Mr. Satan kicking his butt and a cold sweat built up on his brow.

"So let's be quick," Videl ran through the house toward one of the storage rooms, "Aha! There it is." Videl walked over to a large armoire, "I'm almost positive I saw a suit from when dad was a kid that would be perfect for this!"

Sharp forgot his fear for a moment as he took a look in the armoire and resumed his hero worshiping, "I get to wear one of Mr. Satan's old outfits…"

"Yeah yeah, you can snuggle up with my dad's clothes after we find them," All of the stored outfits were in zipped bags that Videl started unzipping and checking.

"Alright, then let me help, what are we looking for?" Sharp grabbed a bag and unzipped it as well.

"It's going to be a…" Videl was interrupted by the sound of the door chime indicating someone entered the house.

Both Sharp and Videl stopped breathing as they stared at each other, "Is that who I think it…?"

"SHHH!" Videl bopped Sharp hard.

"Sweetie pie? Are you home?" The deep voice of Hercule called from down the hall.

Videl shoved Sharp in the closet and slammed the door shut, "Yes daddy, I'm just going through some old stuff in here."

Hercule popped his head into the storage room and looked around, "I thought I heard a boy's voice from around here…"

"A boy's voice?" Videl cocked her head to the side, "You might have heard my police scanner going off, I was listening to it until just a minute ago."

"Oh that makes sense," Hercule took a look at the stuff Videl had strewn about the room, "Are you looking for something pumpkin?"

Videl picked up one of the zipper bags, "It's no big deal dad, I saw an ad talking about suits from thirty years ago coming back into style and I could have sworn I saw something like that here once."

Mr. Satan rubbed the stubble on his chin, "I think you're right, in fact it should be in this armoire here."

Videl held a hand out but Mr. Satan immediately swung the door open, "Now where was it… I forgot how packed I left these things."

Videl peeked over her dad's shoulder and sure enough she saw no sign of Sharp on the left or the right side of the armoire. She looked up and noticed his face from behind a box on the top shelf.

"I think this might be part of it," Mr. Satan pulled out a hat box from the bottom, "Wow, it's been awhile since I've gone through any of this stuff, just look at all the dust on this box," he blew the dust off the top of the box and sent a cloud scattering up into the armoire.

Sharp clenched his eyes shut and tried as best he could to stifle his need to sneeze. It was no good, "AH-CHOO!"

"What the?!" Mr. Satan jumped back from the armoire.

Videl pinched her nose, "Sorry dad, you were right, there's so much dust here."

Mr. Satan looked confused, "That didn't sound like it came from you."

"I must have sneezed so hard that it echoed around the room," Videl sniffed for effect, "I am a Satan after all, powerful sneezes are a given."

"You have a point," Hercule scratched his head as he picked the box back up.

Videl tugged on her dad's arm, "Let's look more later, we'll leave all the doors open and let the room air out and maybe it will be better to look through stuff."

"That's not a bad idea, it's time for some afternoon snacks anyway," Hercule allowed himself to led out of the room by his daughter.

Sharp nearly collapsed as the tension of the moment subsided, "Too close…"

Gohan and Erasa entered their third store still looking for something that would fit their tastes, "Oh what do you think of these?" Erasa ran over to where a bunch of bowler hats were on display.

Gohan cocked his head to the side as he looked at them over, "I don't mind."

"You've been saying that about everything," Erasa stuck her tongue out at the boy.

"Sorry, I'm just not all that into fashion. Honestly I hadn't even heard of swing culture until today," Gohan lowered his eyes in apology.

"That's understandable, but don't worry about whether or not it matches the culture, I'll find the stuff that works and you just let me know if you like it," Erasa squeezed Gohan's hand to give him some reassurance.

Gohan warmed up to the idea, "Thanks, that's really cool of you."

"Suspenders!" Erasa almost shouted suddenly.

"Huh?" Gohan followed her gaze to a pair of high pants with a Y suspender.

"Suspenders are definitely big in swing culture, what do you think?" Erasa tried again.

Gohan looked them over for a moment, "I could see myself in them. Though I've never been much of a suspender guy."

"Hmmm…" Erasa thought, "This is a challenge, but I won't give up! In fact…" Erasa looked over at another manikin on display, "Oh… I just had an idea."

"What?" Gohan tried to follow whatever Erasa was looking at, "Will that really work?"

Erasa walked over to the manikin wearing a sailor outfit, "It's a stretch, but with the right vintage we can make it work."

Gohan grinned as he looked it over, "Yeah, I'm definitely game for something like that."

"Great!" Erasa beamed, "Then let's put yours together first." Erasa grabbed the white suit and ushered Gohan into the changing room, "Try this on and let's see how you look."

"Okay…" Gohan did as he was told and put on the sailor's outfit. "I'm not sure this is the right look."

"Let's see!" Erasa called impatiently. Gohan stepped out of the changing room so Erasa could take a look. "Awwww, you're adorable! You look like a school kid from the old cartoons with the ribbon hat and everything!" Erasa practically sqweed as she snapped a few photos with her phone.

Gohan smirked and crossed his arms, "Yeah not the look we're shooting for."

Erasa smiled innocently, "Nooo I guess not." Gohan stepped back into the changing room to take the outfit off. Before he had his normal clothes back on another outfit was thrown over the door, "Try this one."

"K," Gohan pulled down the new outfit and held it up in front of the mirror, "Hey… this is a good one."

"I'm glad you think so!" Erasa grinned to herself.

"I think the shirt might actually be a little too big," Gohan looked it over in the mirror before stepping out, "the sleeves are good but the collar is almost as wide as my shoulders."

"That's the style!" Erasa giggled picturing Gohan with the shirt slipping down one arm, "Just tie it off a bit with the neckerchief, but the opening should have a low cut in the front."

"Got it," Gohan fumbled with it for a moment before stepping out again.

The suit this time was black with stripes on the cuffs, a fake rank on the arms, the tar flap collar had the standard three stripes, and Erasa laughed noticing the neckerchief was tied wrong, "It's supposed to look more like this." Erasa undid the knot and then redid it so it hung down. "There!"

Gohan looked into the mirror again, "Yeah, that does look better!"

Erasa completed his look by dropping a white Dixie cup style hat over his head, "Nice tan by the way Mr. Swimmer, you definitely make this outfit look good."

"Umm… thanks," Gohan blushed more as he turned around to check the suit from all angles, "This costume looks really familiar for some reason…"

"It's almost exactly what the Cracker Jack boy wears," Erasa giggled, "Don't worry, that's perfect for this old time theme party, it wasn't uncommon for sailors to stop at a dance hall while on leave before changing."

"Cool, I'm glad this works then," Gohan went ahead and struck a pose as Erasa snapped another photo.

"All we need are some matching dance shoes and you're finished," Erasa put her phone away as she grabbed a set of clothes she already had pulled aside, "Alright, my turn!"

Gohan waited patiently while Erasa used the changing room. She took a little bit longer to change than he had, but when the door opened Erasa happily marched out, "Attention soldier!"

"Oh wow," Erasa's outfit matched Gohan's with a black sailor shirt, skirt, and tar flap, but her neckerchief was red and her white sailor cap had a rim.

"I'm pretty sure having a hat like this means I'm your superior officer," Erasa teased.

"Aye aye, sir!" Gohan mock saluted.

Erasa leaned against Gohan and pulled out her phone to snap a selfie of the two of them together. The two changed back into their regular clothes and paid for their costumes.

"Even if we don't find The Dragon, I think this weekend will be fun!" Erasa skipped happily.

Gohan couldn't help but smile back, "I think you're right."

The sun was starting to set as Gohan walked Erasa home. Sharp approached from the other direction looking a little frazzled, "Whoa there, are you alright bro?"

Sharp popped his neck and stretched, "I just spent the whole afternoon scrunched into a space behind some boxes on the top shelf of Mr. Satan's closet.

Neither Erasa nor Gohan knew how to take that, "Do we want to know?"

Sharp moaned out, "Videl freaked out that if her dad found a boy in the house that he'd flip and do who knows what, so when he got home early I had to hide until he ate enough to take a nap."

"Did you at least find an outfit for the party?" Sharp nodded to Erasa and held up his backpack which was overly stuffed.

"Well at least that's out of the way," Sharp weakly waved an affirmation and headed into the house. Erasa just shook her head as she watched him trudge, "Thanks again for hanging out this evening Gohan, we'll have to do it again sometime."

"Yeah for sure!" Gohan waved and started walking off.

"Oh, Gohan!" Erasa called before he got too far. Once Gohan turned around she continued, "Be sure and watch a few swing videos on the net to get the idea of how the dances are going to go. I'm about to go do that too and hopefully brush up on my moves."

"Right!" Gohan looked like the notion just clicked in his head, "Dancing, need to know how to dance like that… Alright see ya later!"

Erasa giggled again as she watched Gohan walk away.

Once Gohan was a good bit out of sight from anyone, he flipped the switch on his belt, made a few guest appearances in town, and flew towards Capsule Corp. He landed on the balcony he and his friends normally entered from and knocked. Bulma took just a minute to answer, "That is one sharp looking super hero," Bulma admired her work for a second, "How are you doing today kid?"

Gohan switched his outfits again, "Bulma, I need to learn how to dance!"

Bulma laughed which caused Gohan to look away embarrassed, "Sorry Gohan, I should have figured you'd have a school dance sooner or later."

"Actually…" Gohan started thinking about how he was going to explain this situation, "I'm going to a party with some friends of mine. It's a swing party so I'm supposed to know a bit about swing dancing so we don't look suspicious while we investigate this guy who might be The Dragon."

Bulma stopped laughing and looked Gohan over curiously, "You're trying to figure out who The Dragon is?"

"Well…" Gohan scratched his head, "My friends started this Dragon Unmasking club, and I ended up becoming part of it, so I'm supposed to help them figure out who The Dragon is."

"I suppose that's actually the best way to keep your identity a secret is to work with the people trying to figure the mystery out," Bulma shrugged.

"Yeah, so they think the guy at this party might be The Dragon, so we're going to go and search the place for any clues to figure out if he is or isn't," Gohan explained.

"Well at least we already know you won't find much of anything, so I guess it'd be best to concentrate on the dancing," Bulma waved Gohan over, "Swing dancing you say, that sounds like fun."

Gohan followed close behind, "Thanks Bulma, I was told there were videos on the net that could help."

"Of course, StarTube has everything!" Bulma pulled out a controller and pointed it at the TV. Soon hundreds of results were displayed for "How to Swing Dance".

"Wow," Gohan scrolled through the results.

"I'm going to grab a drink before we get started, you want anything?" Bulma offered.

"I'm good, thanks!" The first video started playing and Gohan paid close attention to what he'd be doing.

Footsteps were coming up the stairs, but they definitely weren't Bulma's, "Are you here to train punk?"

"Hey Vegeta, not today, I'm actually trying to learn how dance like this," Gohan pointed to the screen.

Vegeta watched the video for a moment, "What purpose do these movements serve?"

"Umm…" Gohan tried to think of the best way to explain this to Vegeta, "It's socializing; you dance with your partner for fun… I think."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow but continued to watch the video.

"You should learn how to dance too," Bulma announced her presence from behind Vegeta.

"HA!" Vegeta scoffed, "If it serves no benefit to my combat style then it is little more than pointless."

"But dancing could help you fight better, it teaches you a wider range of motions that you otherwise wouldn't put your body through," In actuality Bulma thought it might be nice to get Vegeta to dance with her.

Vegeta appeared to be considering it, "Very well, our training will begin immediately."

Bulma inwardly cheered.

"Punk, gravity chamber, now!" Both Bulma and Gohan stared blankly at Vegeta.

"Vegeta honey, dancing doesn't really…" Bulma tried to talk Vegeta out of the gravity chamber.

"Nonsense," Vegeta countered immediately, "if it is going to have exceptional physical value then the effects will be amplified through the use of higher gravity."

Bulma sighed then looked over at Gohan and whispered, "Sorry…"

Inside the gravity chamber, Vegeta was already turning the gravity up past six hundred Gs. Bulma appeared on the screen to monitor them, "I've scanned through the videos and I'll be putting up a playlist here. Just try and mimic the movements. Keep in mind that in a real world scenario you'd be doing this with a partner."

"Thanks Bulma," Gohan was still determined to learn as much as he could in the time he had.

"Let us begin," Vegeta assumed the first position that was described on the screen.

The videos first described common poses that were struck during the routines and then outlined the steps between them. Gohan and Vegeta used their energy to balance themselves for lack of a partner to counterweight them.

Gohan was the first to almost slip under the extra weight of the gravity which caused Vegeta to smirk, "Doesn't look like you'll be surpassing me in this field."

"All hail Vegeta, prince of the Lindy Hop," Gohan playfully mocked back.

"You better watch it punk, you're inside my sparring room after all," Gohan didn't say anything else as the training continued.

The session involved many slides, twirls, jumps, and splits. Most of the positions had to be held for a long time, at least long by saiyan standards, and especially at six hundred and fifty times normal gravity.

The high gravity dance session went on for a few hours before both Gohan and Vegeta ended up nearly crawling from the gravity chamber. Gohan was still taking deep breaths, "I… can't believe… how sore that made me…"

Vegeta grinned feeling victorious, "Your… lack of training… and discipline… is what… cost you… the victory… today…"

"Whatever…" Gohan waved it off not really caring about Vegeta's internal competition.

Bulma approached from down the hall, "You two were both looking really good near the end there, at least until you started collapsing from exhaustion."

"Thanks Bulma…" Gohan gasped out in sincere gratitude.

Bulma gave Gohan a thumbs up, "No sweat kid, you're going to be a killer at that dance! Just remember to keep your energy high and that it's okay to feel stupid, just roll with it like nobody's watching."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Gohan nodded but his stomach grumbled and interrupted the moment, "Now, I'm really starving, need to go find food…" Gohan slowly made his way out of the building, "See you guys soon!"

Bulma couldn't help but chuckle as she watched him go, then she turned to her husband, "So Vegeta, would you care to demonstrate what you learned today?"

A loud rumbling silenced the notion, "I'm with the kid, food first… then maybe some time in the sauna…"

Bulma just shook her head as she watched the man limp away, "For his sake, that kid better not look up to _you_ as a role model."

* * *

End Chapter

I've put Gohan through a lot in the time I've been writing stories, but this is the first time I'm making him dance. I've got an idea for how this is going to go and it has me excited that this could actually turn out pretty cool. I hope you'll all come back to check it out!

At the time of this posting NaNoWriMo has officially ended. Sadly I was not able to complete the 50,000 words by the turn of the month. I made it to roughly 41,000 words, but I feel I did pretty good seeing as how I started a week late. So I still have a few chapters in reserve for this story, but I wanted to let you all know that my hope is to continue writing this story now through completion. It's been fun and I have quite a few ideas for where I want this to end up now.

Thank you everyone for reading my story. Please let me know what you think so far, and as always...

'Til next time!


	5. The Dragon's Den

Last time on Dragon Ball Legend...

Gohan's friends started an official club dedicated to unmasking The Dragon and invited Gohan into taking on an important role in their new club. Despite the awkwardness of being their target, Gohan accepted the invitation and went about making plans to help investigate several other suspects. Videl informed the rest of the club that part of the investigation would involve going to a charity party as couples and most likely having to dance. Without knowing much about dancing Gohan turned to Bulma for help in learning such a trait. At Bulma's however Gohan ran into Vegeta who somehow managed to turn learning to dance into a saiyan style competition. After practicing his dance moves at 600 times normal gravity, will Gohan be ready for the challenges that lie ahead? Stay tuned!

Thank you guys who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so sorry I didn't have the chance to message you all, but once again I wanted to reply to you in story:

wheathermangohanssj4 - A keen eye as always! A lot of this is geared towards interaction rather than straight out action so I'm glad you're enjoying it. As cool as I think the gadgets are that Gohan has at his disposal I don't really get the feeling that he pays much attention to them. If they didn't work automatically I doubt he'd use them much. Vegeta was definitely OOC, but I wanted it to be a little funny and that seemed like the best way to do it. I'm really unsure of Hercule's age. I would imagine he has to be older than 30 at this point since if he is 30 that would mean he became a father with Videl at 16 or 17. Not that it's impossible, I just always figured him a little older than that. I was figuring he would have had to have been about 9 or 10 when he wore a suit that Sharp could wear at 12 since the man really is enormous, the second biggest as far as I've seen next to the Ox King. Though I could always tone down the timeline since DBZ earth doesn't have a definite era period history like real earth, the big swing period could have been only twenty years ago instead of fifty. As far as cameras go, I remember Sharpner using a "Nikon" rip off camera at the world tournament, and Nikon SLRs are huge today because they're really fancy cameras. So I don't think that all cameras have to be bulky just because the SLR cameras are big. In a world where Bulma can hide a space ship under her lawn tables that is capable of closing it's dome, pooping out the patio furniture, and then immediately taking off, small cameras just aren't as big of a deal in my book. Thanks as always though for helping me stay on track!

unpredictable cupcake - I hadn't seen a Saiyan dance off before either, I'm glad it was something somewhat original! Thanks!

Ern Estine 13624 - Thanks again for sure!

Lightningblade49 - You know Bulma recorded the whole thing!

Shidan - I'm glad you're enjoying the younger perspective as well! It is a time of great development after all.

maximusrexmundi - I was hoping to make something different but that still fit, glad you're enjoying it!

SeanHicks4 - Believe me I was tempted... I chose this way just to keep the dialogue from getting any more awkward or OOC than it already was lol! Vegete definitely wouldn't settle for a position other than the lead, but that wouldn't help Gohan and I could see him arguing for logic's sake which would have made things weird. Maybe I should have at least included the argument to make it funny and then settled for the way things turned out as a compromise! I might change it later, thanks for the ideas!

Penelope - Oh what to do if we started a love triangle at their age... That would involve a lot of drama even for me... but who knows how it will play out? And yes, Sharpner in the closet just had to happen!

Rebmul - Me either!

duskrider - That does make me feel better thanks! I've still only ever finished NaNo once. Maybe next year.

Dyton - I will definitely try. I shouldn't over promise since I've proven to not be exceptionally good at that except where my last ZAT story was concerned. But this story has proven to be a lot of fun so far and I want to see where it goes just as much as anyone. At first I was just going to have Bulma teach Gohan how to dance, and then Vegeta literally just butted into the plan inside my head and forced his way back into the story, I had no choice after that.

Repulsr - Thanks a lot!

And thank you also to everyone else who is reading! On to Chapter 5!

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Dragon's Den**

* * *

"Videl? Is that really you?" Gohan and Erasa couldn't keep their mouths from hanging open as Videl and Sharp approached. Sharp had on Hercule's old bright red zoot suit, complete with a feathered fedora. It was a little big on him, but still eye catching in itself. Videl's dress though, while a similar red, was form fitted with one black bow shaped strap going up her left shoulder, a red bow was tied in her hair, a black bow at her side, and fishnet stockings completed the look.

"Stop staring…" Videl looked somewhat nervous.

"Oh sorry!" Gohan immediately looked away.

"No, the dress style, it's called stop staring," Videl clarified.

"You look so amazing!" Erasa couldn't hold it in anymore and ran over and hugged Videl.

"Thanks," Videl tried to perk up a bit, "You guys are really cute too, diggin the sailor look."

Erasa giggled and dragged Videl out in front to start walking.

With the girls talking amongst themselves ahead, Gohan walked alongside Sharp, "You okay?"

"I'm okay really, as nervous as anyone going to such a swanky party, but I'll be fine," Sharp pulled on his collar.

Gohan understood, he was also wondering just what they were about to walk into, "And how about Videl?"

Sharp halfheartedly shrugged, "This is kind of rough on her, she wanted to look the part but she's really not used to being dressed so… girly?"

"I see…" Gohan looked worriedly at the girls ahead of them, "I guess it's too late to back out now though."

"You got that right," Sharp laughed, "Once that girl has made up her mind about something, that's it, all in."

"Let's be sure and do our best," Gohan looked up and forced himself to walk with more confidence, "That will make her feel better."

"Yeah," Sharp straightened his coat and kept stride with Gohan.

The party was being held at the Timber's manor. A nine foot wall of solid decorative brick surrounded the entire estate and provided ample privacy. Music could already be heard over the wall as the party was getting started. A guard at the gate was scrutinizing invitations as the guests arrived.

Videl handed the man her card, "Videl Satan, and these are my plus three."

"Very well madam, please inform any of the servers of your needs and you will be promptly seen to. Do enjoy yourselves," The guard waved them through.

"Thanks!" Gohan waved as he walked by the guard.

Once inside they saw the complex was huge. A dance floor was set up in front of the house and a popular live band was providing the music on a stage. Surrounding the dance floor were plenty of decorated tables, and a buffet was set out with lots of food.

"This place might be bigger than Videl's house," Sharp looked around in awe at the size of it.

"I think you're right," Videl kept an objective gaze on her face, "This might be harder than I thought, but we can't give up."

"We're with you Videl!" Erasa cheered encouragingly.

"Is that Videl Satan?" An unfamiliar voice approached.

"Oh so it is," Another chimed in.

The group turned around and came face to face with two boys about their age with brown hair wearing English inspired costumes with frilly cravats and balloon sleeves, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Wally Timbers."

The other boy bowed courteously before Videl, "I was wondering when we would finally get to meet and talk like normal people, I'm Oakley Timbers." He reached forward and pulled Videl's hand to his lips and left a gentlemanly kiss."

Sharp narrowed his eyes but Videl seemed unaffected, "The pleasure is mine, though have we met somewhere before Oakley?"

Oakley let go of Videl's hand, "Nowhere that we could have gotten to know each other better." Wally elbowed his cousin in the ribs and they both straightened back out.

"Riiight…" Videl eyed the two suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, you're here to enjoy the party and we're getting in your way, please make yourselves at home," Wally stepped aside and bowed to the guests.

"I do hope we get to talk more before you leave though," Oakley was obviously putting on the charm as he bowed and left with his cousin.

"They're suspicious, I don't like them," Sharp immediately made his opinion known.

"Suspicious indeed…" Videl confirmed, "Keep your eyes open guys, there's definitely something going on here."

"Let's split up," Sharp suggested, "I'll go with Videl and watch those two carefully, you guys check out the entrance and guest areas."

Erasa nodded, "Be sure and keep an eye out for anything that doesn't quite fit with the rest of the property, especially anything that looks extra techie or advanced."

"Right," Videl agreed before she and Sharp marched off.

Gohan put his arms up behind his head and kept up with Erasa. Good music was playing but hardly anyone was dancing. Most everyone was scattered throughout the yard or sitting at tables having conversations about boring things.

"You don't seem too worried?" Erasa mentioned to Gohan once the others were out of earshot.

Gohan shrugged, "I don't know, I just don't get the feeling that we're going to find much actually."

"Why do you think that is?" Erasa asked while looking from side to side.

"Just a hun…ch," Gohan stopped as he saw the buffet layout.

"We still need to keep our eyes, open, you never know when something strange might happen right under our noses," Erasa looked over the furnishings apparently appraising their technological value.

"Oh for sure!" Gohan grabbed a plate and began piling food on it. Though for every item that ended up on the plate, at least three or four were tossed directly to his mouth. He swallowed quickly before asking, "What kind of strangeness are you looking for?"

"Of course we need to be on the lookout for signs of advanced tech that wouldn't normally be commercially available," They walked past a tray of rolled meats and a few of those ended up on Gohan's plate, "But we also need to watch for unusual behavior, someone who's hiding something this big is bound to act a little unusual." The next tray was a display of cheese cubes and a few of those ended up on Gohan's plate, "And not just from our targets, but the family as well. Someone else has to know about a secret like this and they'll also be acting a little off if it's true," A few of the bite sized rolls from the next tray were also added to the plate, "You've probably heard how they say someone who's worried about getting found out or feeling guilty won't eat or spend a lot of time stuttering in conversation over unrelated issues, we should listen in for stuff like that." The last tray had a bunch of chopped fruits and veggies, "You're being quiet suddenly," Erasa turned around and saw the plate Gohan had stacked precariously tall and grinned, "A little hungry huh?"

Gohan's eyes widened for a second and then he made a big gulp getting the last direct serving of food down, "I guess a little bit."

Erasa saw all the empty platters behind them, "I didn't realize they were running so low on food if that plate was all that's left, good job getting a claim on it first!"

Gohan chuckled nervously as he followed Erasa back to the tables. A server came by and went bug eyed looking at the empty platters, "The heck? We just filled all those!"

The two of them continued looking at different bits of the house, the stage, and other furnishings around the yard, Erasa finally sighed out, "I definitely don't see anything that stands out as being unusual."

Gohan nodded but caught sight of their friends approaching, "Hey guys, how did your reconnaissance go?"

Sharp grumbled, "Not that great."

"Act natural, walk together," Videl urged and they all started moving, "The entire time we were trying to keep an eye on them they were also keeping an eye on us. I'm not sure if they're on to our suspicions but it's definitely making it difficult to discover anything."

"Maybe we should switch tasks?" Erasa suggested.

"No way, if these two really are The Dragon then who knows what else they're capable of?" Videl thought a moment, "No Sharp and I are much better prepared to deal with things if they get messy than you guys, no offense."

"No that's cool," Gohan smiled as he put his empty plate on a stack of dishes.

"So what can we do then?" Erasa asked confidently.

After a moment of thought Videl looked up, "We're going to need a distraction."

"Oh?" Erasa nodded, "Anything in mind? A pull of the fire alarm, an explosion maybe?"

Videl waved her hands, "No, nothing like that, we don't need to panic everyone over this."

Erasa hummed in thought, "Alright then, what else could we do…"

"I'm not sure yet…" Videl grumbled thinking as well.

Gohan looked around the yard. There were a lot of people around, most of them were mingling but the dance floor was still almost completely empty. It was right in the middle of everything though. Gohan gulped down his nervousness as he turned and took Erasa's hand, "I think I've got an idea, you guys get ready for whatever you have to do and we'll try and hold everyone's attention for as long as we can."

Before any questions could be asked Erasa and Gohan took off. Even Erasa was confused, "What are we going to do Gohan?"

Feeling a little more confident, Gohan tried to smile, "Dance!"

"Huh? How's that going to…" Erasa tried to understand.

"Just follow my lead, remember to keep the energy high and that it's okay to look stupid, just roll with it like nobody's watching," Gohan's words echoed through his own mind like a mantra.

Erasa couldn't help but admire Gohan as he pulled her through the crowd, "Yeah, that way we can really give them something to watch!" She gripped Gohan's hand tighter for assurance as they neared the dance floor.

A new song was just starting as Gohan grabbed a chair a flipped it onto the dance floor. It landed with a loud thud startling everyone nearby and causing most of the yard to look their way. Gohan jumped onto the chair once it landed and slid across the floor before he jumped off and kicked the chair to the side while holding his hand out for Erasa to join him. Erasa ran in and twirled several times before she caught Gohan's hand. Gohan put a foot behind him to support their weight and the two leaned all the way back over him. Gohan smoothly got them back upright, he spun Erasa once, then they slid to the side before he changed direction, leaning them all the way forward to the point the back of Erasa's head almost contacted the ground. Gohan picked them back up just as smoothly as before with a slight snap to his posture at the end for effect.

"Those kids are pretty good," spectators started commenting as the couple in the sailor outfits kept up their spirited performance.

"They're doing it," Videl noticed that both Wally and Oakley were watching the dance floor.

"Yeah, they're not bad, but we should show them how awesome we could be at dancing!" Sharp was feeling almost jealous of how much attention the two were getting.

"Come on!" Videl tugged on Sharp's sleeve hard to get him to move.

Erasa and Gohan bounced toward each other and away to arm's length in rapid succession as the music picked up the tempo. Gohan pulled them closer to the chair he had tossed earlier and managed to kick it upright again on one of his backswings. He pulled Erasa toward him and hoisted her onto his back as he jumped onto the chair. The chair started to fall over backwards but it somehow ended up balanced on its back two legs as Gohan brought Erasa around and then spun in circles holding her with his arms extended. Erasa couldn't help but laugh as she could feel the G-force from being swung in circles. Gohan pulled her close again and then jumped from the chair still spinning. He landed with an exaggerated thud to hold everyone's attention and then extended his arm in a manner that twirled Erasa away from him until they were at arm's length, and then he slid forward once again leaning Erasa nearly down the ground.

The crowd started cheering for the pair, and people who had been sitting started getting up and coming closer to have a better look.

"What now?" Sharp asked as they approached Wally and Oakley from behind.

"Now we umm…" Videl tried to think of something on the spot that would prove or disprove her case. "Get me a plate of food."

"What?" Sharp thought it to be an odd request, "Umm… It looks like the buffet is almost empty…"

"It doesn't need much on it, just hurry!" Videl commanded.

On the dance floor, Gohan and Erasa were doing spin kicks; Gohan would spin Erasa into the air and she'd click her heals while off the ground then once she landed they continued their spin and Gohan jumped and clacked his heels in the same manner. "Run towards me," Gohan whispered into Erasa's ear before the two separated to different ends of the floor. They both ran towards each other and Gohan jumped first, landing in a leg split and held his hands out catching Erasa by the waist as she approached and held her up high above his head. They held the pose for a few seconds and then Gohan set her down and popped back up eliciting more cheers from their impromptu audience.

Sharp returned with the plate of food, "Thanks, wait here for a sec," Videl took the plate and walked quickly over to the crowd where Oakley was meshed into. She took a deep breath and then bopped into Oakley's side while dropping her plate, "Oh no!"

Oakley almost fell over but kept his balance and noticed Videl ducking under his side to pick up the food, "Oh, don't worry about that, we can get someone to clean it up."

"I am so sorry, that was completely my fault, I was watching the dance and didn't…" Videl sighed in frustration as she scooped a few things onto the plate.

"Umm… Let me help…" Oakley finally stooped down himself and started picking up a few things.

"You know, you are sweet," Videl cooed as Oakley took the plate and stood back up.

"Don't mention it," Oakley was obviously a little nervous about speaking with Videl, "So umm… I should… umm…"

Videl giggled, "You should probably find a place for that dish before someone accidentally tries to eat something off of it."

"Oh right!" Oakley chuckled to himself, "Of course, I'll get it taken care of!" The boy quickly ran back to the buffet line to dispose of the offending items.

Sharp looked confused as Videl turned and started walking quickly towards him, "What was tha…?"

Videl flashed him a set of keys in her hand and then ushered him to keep moving.

"The end of the song is coming up," Erasa mentioned as she led Gohan through the fast steps.

"Alright, let's do something for it then," Gohan took off his hat and threw it into the air. He locked arms with Erasa then rolled her over his back like a sideways leapfrog. Once she was on her feet he jumped over her back and then flipped her over himself again once he landed. They did this in a way that formed a small circle across their part of the dance floor. Gohan held Erasa's hands then ducked and turned so their hands were crossed with his back to her. He then jumped out of the hold and kicked his legs out so he could hop backwards over Erasa's head. Now with Erasa's back to him and their arms still crossed, he spun her around again so they were facing each other while moving his hands down to grip her gently by the waist and lifted her up above his head. Erasa put her arms out like she was a bird flying through the sky. As the music reached its crescendo Gohan brought her back down and her hands gripped his neckerchief. Instead of placing Erasa on her feet, he arched her position and swooped her heels up and over his head from behind as he leaned over her striking a finale pose.

Realizing he shouldn't look perfect while holding all of Erasa's weight, Gohan tumbled at the end and dropped Erasa an inch from the ground and fell on top of her.

The crowd still cheered as Gohan looked embarrassed. His hat finally descended and landed a little awry on his head. Erasa couldn't help but break into a fit of laughter, "Oh my gosh, Gohan!"

Gohan finally pushed himself off and helped Erasa to her feet, "Sorry about that."

"Not at all, that was so much fun!" Erasa beamed, "I had no idea you could dance like that; it was amazing!"

Gohan smiled as he fixed his hat and the two started walking off the dance floor.

"Do we get an encore?" People in the crowd started asking.

"We're a little tired, let us get our breath back," Erasa laughed as she pulled Gohan away from the people.

The energy of the party noticeably picked up and more people were trying their hand at dancing after being given an example to follow.

Erasa spotted Videl and Sharp in the crowd and pulled Gohan their way, "Hey guys, did it work?"

Videl nodded excitedly, "Complete success, you guys were awesome!"

"So what's next?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Next we look for clues in Oakley's room," Videl started walking toward the house.

"How do we manage that?" Erasa looked around at the servers and guards around the property.

"Videl pickpocketed Oakley's keys during the dance," Sharp blurted out.

"She did?" Gohan looked astonished, "Isn't that… umm… a crime?"

"We're not going to steal anything," Videl justified, "We're only going to take a look and then leave everything as we found it."

The four tried to be as stealthy as they could as they disappeared around the side of the house to look for an entrance that wasn't being used. "There are only a few keys on this thing, so hopefully one of these will… Bingo!" Videl opened the side door and everyone followed her inside.

It was easy to tell which hallways and rooms were occupied as they were all lit up. The group stuck to the darker areas of the house to avoid detection.

"This is kind of crazy, I mean we don't even know the layout of this house much less which room is Oakley's," Sharp pointed out.

"We'll figure it out when we find it," Videl assured everyone. They eventually found a staircase leading up to the second floor and a carpeted hallway that looked to be where the bedrooms were lined up. Videl took out the keys again and started trying to open doors. The first three wouldn't open, but the fourth clicked, "Got ya…"

Videl pushed the door open and the room inside certainly looked like a boy's bedroom, "Alright, we need to find something that would connect Oakley to The Dragon.

"Right!" Erasa pulled out a flashlight and started looking around the room. Sharp and Videl also started looking around meticulously. Gohan on the other hand just looked around haphazardly starting to feel guilty that they were intruding in some poor kid's room when he knew there was nothing here to find.

Erasa was still looking under the bed while Sharp had the closet and Videl went through dresser drawers.

Under the bed Erasa found baseball bats, other sports gear, and some lost dirty clothes.

Sharp opened up a box, "Oh wow, check it out, he's got the entire collection of the Super Sentai Uberranger comics!"

"On task!" Videl scolded as she pulled out a jumpsuit but it was obviously for sports and not crime fighting.

Over ten minutes of searching went by before Gohan finally sighed, "Guys, there's nothing here. We aren't going to find anything."

"You don't know that for sure," Videl sighed out of frustration. She looked back and noticed Gohan leaning against the desk, "Are you even looking?"

Gohan looked down and opened the desk drawer, "It's just there is no way this will prove anything. If we don't find anything then the possibility will always exist that there was something that we missed," Gohan closed the drawer and reached for the cabinet in the hutch, "And the chances of us actually finding anything Dragon related are almost non…exis…tent…" Gohan's words caught in his throat as he stared into the cabinet.

"What is it Gohan?" Everyone looked up and saw an extremely stunned Gohan holding onto The Dragon's helmet.

"Gohan you did it!" Videl cheered as she ran up and took the helmet from her friend, "Once again, you're amazing!"

"Sure…" Gohan scratched his head trying to figure out what was going on.

"This evidence will go a long way towards proving Oakley and Wally together are The Dragon!" Videl led the team out of the room but immediately stopped in the hallway.

"If you wanted something of mine that bad, all you had to do was ask nicely," Oakley blocked the hall with his cousin Wally at his side.

"It's too late you two," Videl held the helmet up, "We've figured out how you're The Dragon, both of you together, give it up."

"What a…" Wally started talking but Oakley jumped in front.

"Watch what you say Wally, we don't want to make things any worse," Oakley put his hands up as if to calm down the situation, "They've already come this far, it doesn't make sense to hide things from them any longer right?"

"But…" Wally sighed.

"How did you figure it out?" Oakley pressed on.

"A lot of research," Videl explained, "We had to narrow down a lot of variables and determined we were looking for a boy somewhere between the ages of twelve and fourteen who recently moved to the city and had a family with enough money to pull something like this off."

"I see…" Oakley nodded.

Videl looked down at the helmet in her hands, "The big break was figuring out that there had to be not one but two boys being The Dragon in order to make appearances so quickly at different ends of town."

"And with that information, the two that best fit that description was us huh?" Oakley sounded impressed.

"That's right," Videl confirmed.

"So now that you've figured it out, what are you going to do?" Oakley asked calmly.

"I intend to go public with this information and make sure everyone knows who The Dragon really is," Videl stated purposefully.

"Before you do that…" Oakley turned to his cousin, "I think we need to show them."

Wally looked down for a second and then looking a little more confident nodded to Oakley, "I guess it's the least we can do."

The two boys walked down the hall with Videl and her group following close behind. They came up to a bookcase and each took a side and grunted a bit as they lifted it and moved it out of the way revealing a doorway behind it.

"Welcome to the Dragon's Den," Wally said as he invited everyone inside.

Gohan couldn't keep his mouth shut as he took a look around the room. Inside they were surrounded by several Dragon costumes, a map of the city with a pushpin board that looked very similar to the one he had put together for his friends linking Dragon sightings, a lot of radio equipment such as police frequency scanners, and several computers running what looked like combat simulations.

"This… isn't possible…" Gohan whispered to himself as he ran a hand over the suit on the hanger.

"It's true…" Sharp took in the sight of everything in the room and seemed really impressed.

Oakley and Wally crossed their arms and looked over the group, "Yeah, we are The Dragon."

Gohan felt a sudden anger swelling up, but he couldn't exactly explain why.

"So, we're showing you all this for a reason," Oakley started.

"Why's that?" Erasa was getting curious as to why the two boys would be alright with just showing them everything like this.

"Honestly it's because of how difficult this kind of hobby can be, and the fact is that we could use some help. You guys are obviously good at doing research, digging up clues, and getting to where you need to be, and getting in the bad guy's faces," Oakley leaned back in thought for a moment, "We could really use friends like you guys to take this further, a team that could make it possible to solve even more crimes and get horrible people off the streets. What do you guys think?"

Gohan had to look away, he couldn't look his team in the eyes lest his emotions betray him.

"Can we have some time to talk amongst ourselves?" Videl asked the two.

"Of course," Oakley responded, "Let me know once you've made your decision and we can talk about a lot of things."

The four of them left the room and walked down the hall. "This is so cool, don't you think?!" Erasa did look excited about the proposal.

"Yeah, I didn't think they'd want us all to join forces with them," Sharp was feeling flattered by the offer.

"After all our planning to unmask The Dragon, you two are willing to join them just like that?" Videl asked quietly.

"It's not that…" Sharp started, "It's just now that we know who they are it's not like they seem that threatening, and they really do seem to want to help people."

Erasa nodded, "And they're both really cute."

Gohan shoved his hands in his pockets and quietly walked away from his friends. He found his way to a stair well and simply leaned against the railing, lost in thought. His mind was a jumbled mess as he tried to make sense over how this whole scenario even happened. Gohan snapped up and put his hand to his belt buckle. His finger itched right over the button that would change his clothes out. As he thought about it Videl marched into the stairwell and caused him to turn around with a start.

Videl leaned against the rail by Gohan but didn't say anything.

Finally Gohan had to say something, "Videl I'm…

Videl had started speaking at the same time though, "Those two are full of shit."

"Huh?" Gohan wasn't used to hearing Videl curse, so something must have really bothered her, "Sharp and Erasa really don't want to go public anymore?"

"Not those two…" Videl bit her thumb, "They actually brought up some really good points over why having a secret identity is a good idea, but it's the other two, Wally and Oakley, they're lying."

Gohan gulped, "What do you mean?"

Videl looked seriously into Gohan's eyes, "Those two are not The Dragon."

* * *

**End Chapter**

Doesn't seem like Gohan was expecting this kind of outcome. He's already had his credit stolen before for things he's done. How will this affect the rest of his interactions with his friends? Tune in next time for more action and drama on Dragon Ball Legend - School DAZE!

Thanks again to everyone reading. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me anytime!

'Til next time!


	6. All for Charity

Welcome to the latest installment of Legend - School Daze!

Last time on Legend:

Gohan and his friends arrived at the Timber's house under the guise as party guests to investigate Videl's theory that Oakley and Wally Timber together might be The Dragon. Needing a distraction, Gohan and Erasa opted to put on a show on the dance floor and held everyone's attention long enough for Videl to steal the keys to Oakley's room. The gang snuck inside and investigated the room looking for anything that might indicate whether or not Videl's theory might be right. Convinced that they weren't going to find anything, Gohan haphazardly started opening drawers and cupboards only to find a helmet that matched the one worn by The Dragon. Videl and the others used the evidence to confront the two boys, but instead of fearing that they'd been unmasked an invitation was issued for Team MASK to join up with Wally and Oakley in fighting crime. Gohan started feeling anxious about the situation when Videl found him and made her new feelings known.

As always, a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

32nd Freeze: The plot thickens!

Lightningblade49: Are they getting in over their heads, or is there a deeper plot afoot?

anonymous: Gohan was definitely on the verge of doing something! And Gohan isn't one to anger easily if no one is being hurt.

Ern Estine 13624: Thanks again!

maximusrexmundi: Bulma likes to spice up people's lives with a little extra drama from time to time doesn't she?

Sharkdude5: Thanks a bunch!

Wheathermangohanssj4: I wouldn't worry too much about those Sentai comics. I totally made them up...

SaintMichael95: That would be an interesting thing to explain... "I'm The Dragon!" "We're The Dragon!" "Liars!" "How'd you even get in our house right now?" lol!

Penelope: I hope the answer to this is a good one. I saw your comments and might have spent a little extra time adding a few more details to the dialogue. So you had a major impact in this chapter! Thank you!

duskrider: Oh no, I'm getting back into cliffhangers! I'll try not to do that too often. This was really the first sort of "To be continued" set in the story with these three chapters. Glad it worked out well so far!

Dyton: I'm glad it was able to come off as being somewhat unexpected! If these two were asked to provide further proof of being The Dragon, there's no way they'd be able to fly... Or is there?!

unpredictable cupcake: I will definitely do my best!

asweetlilpixie: I'm glad to see you again! Thank you so much for checking out another one of my stories!

And thanks to everyone who is reading, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6: All for Charity**

* * *

Videl looked seriously into Gohan's eyes, "Those two are not The Dragon."

Once again at a loss, Gohan shook his head, "What do you mean, how do you know?"

Videl sighed, she put her hands behind her head and paced the small hallway in frustration for a moment, "Do you remember when I told you that I can tell when someone is lying? It's like this sense in the back of my head that goes off whenever someone says something that isn't true. I guess it probably doesn't work all the time but when those two said," Videl stood up straight with her hands on her hips mimicking their heroic pose, "'We are The Dragon', I could just tell it was BS. You know?"

Gohan laughed at how Videl mimicked the two boys, "That's a really awesome superpower to have."

Videl shrugged as she continued to think out loud, "A few weeks ago on that day that I helped stop a bank robbery with The Dragon, I actually saw him again after school that day. There was a hostage situation where a man was threatening to kill his own family for whatever crazy reasons he had."

Gohan gulped and cocked his head to the side, "I don't think you told us about that one."

Videl shook her head, "No, I never told this to anyone, it was actually kinda scary the way this man just lost it. But then I got to see _the_ _real _Dragon up close… he wasn't scared at all, not in the least for himself. No one had ever reported seeing The Dragon _angry _before when he fought bad guys, but when he stormed into the house he definitely lost his cool. His anger though was all triggered by a man shirking off his responsibility to his own family. I don't know what his past must be like, but he carries a pain with him that he uses to fuel his motivation for helping others. I don't know… I guess there was something about him that… I admired… That may even be one of the reasons I was hoping to find The Dragon again."

Gohan stared over the railing so he didn't have to look directly into Videl's eyes. It took all his concentration to keep his voice from cracking, "Wow, you were able to tell something like that just from looking at him?"

Another sigh escaped Videl as she continued to think, "Maybe I'm reading too much into what I saw, but I think I'm a good judge of character, and even though his eyes were hidden behind that visor when I saw them I could tell that this was a person who fought hard for what he was and what he believed in. I could see it in his face that he knows pain and he knows loss. I guess that's what upset me the most today is that looking at these two morons upstairs I can tell that they have none of that…"

Gohan was trying hard not to get emotional over Videl's words. He ended up choking out, "…But all the stuff in there?"

"I know…" Videl wrapped her head in her arms, "That's why I couldn't tell the others, there's so much evidence now that these two are The Dragon that they'd never believe me if I said they weren't."

"You're telling me though?" Gohan asked confused.

Videl nodded, "I don't know why but I got the feeling you'd believe me."

Gohan grinned, "Really I do! I was going crazy a minute ago thinking the same thing, that these two are not The Dragon but that there was no way probably to convince you guys of that without doing something… drastic…"

Videl looked Gohan over and smiled back, "You really were, weren't you? Good, then that makes this easier."

"So what do we do?" Gohan asked feeling more enthusiastic again.

"We need to be delicate with this," Videl thought for a moment, "We can't just start making accusations without concrete proof, so let's take our time on this."

"Alright, then maybe we should get out and get some air," Gohan suggested, "I was starting to feel weird in here."

"That's a good idea," Videl led the way back to Sharp and Erasa, "Hey guys, we want to get some air while we think, you guys want to come?"

"Sure!" Sharp and Erasa readily agreed to go back outside with their friends.

Now that the four considered themselves official guests of the Timber boys they didn't bother sneaking through the house anymore. Once outside, the music was still going, but the group hung out far back by the wall. Things had been quiet during their trek outside, and they all managed to sit in silence until Sharp finally spoke up, "It seems like both of you aren't really keen on the idea of teaming up with The Dragon?"

"It's not really that…" Videl explained.

"It's cool though," Sharp continued, "Erasa and I were talking also and we're with you guys. This sounds like it could be cool, but we've been together for a while now Videl and no matter what we'll stand by you. And Gohan also knows what's up so if he's not cool with this then something must be wrong."

Gohan couldn't help but smile. It felt good knowing that his friends trusted him, though it also made him feel a little guilty. He was feeling lucky to have met such awesome people already in his short time in school. Gohan still had his hand on his belt buckle, "Guys, I need to tell you…"

The sound of nearby clattering stole their attention as a teenage boy in a dark green fighter's gi jumped off from the wall nearby. He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen with mid length black hair and a bandanna around his head.

"What the hell?" Videl jumped up after being startled by the stranger.

"Shhh," the boy smiled at the youngsters with a finger to his mouth as he ran off faster than most people were capable of.

"Where'd he go?" Videl twisted to the side as she tried to keep up.

Gohan followed his movement as the older boy jumped up onto the roof of the house. He also sensed at least five others in the area around the house with power levels far above average, "Umm… guys…"

On the stage at the front of the property a well-dressed man was quieting down the crowd, "If I could have your attention please, at this time thanks to all of your contributions we've now officially collected over fifty billion zeni towards reforestation programs around the world!" The crowd cheered in excitement, "With this money, our beneficiaries have pledged to restore over fifty million acres…" The lights and speakers were suddenly cut off before the man could finish his speech.

Several of the lights turned back on and two men and a woman dressed in dark green fighting gis similar to the one the younger boy had been wearing stood on the stage. The previous speaker was pinned under the foot of the tall man with a mustache, "We interrupt this hoity party to bring you a special announcement, The Crane Mercenaries are in need of funding much more than forests are in need of saving so we'll be accepting your donations here today as well as anything else the rest of you may have on your persons of any value."

The front gate of the estate collapsed as a large man threw the guard straight through the metal bars. The guard slid across the ground towards the guests and lost consciousness. Other body guards on the property began moving into action, but another woman and the boy from before swiftly picked them out of the crowd and knocked them out with single hits to the back of the neck.

"It would be best you not make this difficult on yourselves, as you can see normal guards are no match for us," The mustached man on stage boasted.

"Good thing I'm no guard!" Videl jumped onto the patio across from the stage and assumed a defiant stance.

"Ah, that must be the sweetheart of Satan City, Videl isn't it?" Several of the nearby assailants leered.

"That's right," Videl's confidence never faltered, "And if you know who I am then you should know what I'm capable of, give up before it's too late for you."

"You're right… We are aware of what you're capable of…" A nod was made to the large man who crashed through the front gate as a signal, "And we're not worried."

Videl's eyes widened as the towering figure with dark skin and sunglasses charged at her at speeds she could barely track. Just before a punch could be landed, Gohan shoulder tackled the man out of the way. He tripped over the man after the tackle, but quickly pushed himself to his feet and ran to Videl's side.

Videl shoved Gohan behind her, "Gohan! Don't ever do something like that again! These guys are dangerous! Leave it to me and find a place to take cover with the others."

"No Videl!" Gohan pleaded with his friend, "These guys aren't like normal criminals around the city; they're strong and highly trained. We need to get everyone away from here!"

Though Videl detected the sincerity in Gohan's voice, her pride wouldn't allow her to back off, "I'm one of the defenders of this city, and I will stop them!"

Inside the house, Sharp and Erasa ran through the hallways towards the Dragon's Den. "WALLY! OAKLEY!" Erasa shouted as they were near.

The two boys were still inside and looked out curiously, "Why the panic? It's just a power outage."

Sharp shook his head, "No, it's not! A group of thugs have broken in and taken out all the guards at the party downstairs! They're threatening everyone to hand over all their money and valuables."

The cousins' eyes widened and they looked at each other concerned for a second. Oakley took a big gulp as he tried to form words, "uhhh…"

"What are you guys waiting for?" Erasa excitedly shouted, "The Dragon is needed!"

The two nodded nervously.

Outside, Videl charged towards the brawny man. She ducked down and swiped at the man's legs but he easily stepped over the attack. She rose up with an uppercut that was also dodged. Videl grunted before unleashing a volley of fast punches and kicks at the man's torso and face. Every attack Videl threw was side stepped and dodged. The fighter was able to bend his entire body back and around Videl's attacks as if he saw them coming a mile away.

"Sorry girly," Videl hardly had time to notice the fist rising up at her from below. She knew she didn't have time to avoid impact herself. Before the attack hit Gohan put himself between them and took the punch to the face and was thrown off to the side.

"GOHAN!" Videl shouted in concern. She tried to run towards her friend but the big brute of a threat stepped in front of her so she continued her assault throwing a new volley of punches and uppercuts. The results were the same as nothing made impact.

The man caught Videl's last punch in his larger palm, "What's wrong chicka? Just not your _lucky_ night?"

Videl grunted as the man tossed her back. She looked up angrily but barely in time to see a glowing fist heading straight for her. It was like looking into the headlights of oncoming traffic on the expressway, both terrifying and paralyzing. This time Videl was pushed out of the way before she could be hit. The fist flew just barely over Gohan's back, tearing through his sailor costume.

"You're annoying me kid, if you want to be a punching bag for your little girlfriend, then I can make that happen!" Gohan looked up and took a punch to his gut. It looked as though the wind was completely blown from the boy as he folded around the powerful punch. Energy built up around the man as he began his own volley of attacks, rapidly striking Gohan in the face, chest, abdomen, and finally a swift kick launched Gohan into the air. He flew nearly ten meters before landing in a heap.

"NOOO!" Videl shouted angrily. Gohan opened an eye back up and then quickly both eyes out of shock as the air around Videl actually blew around her as if forming an aura. She threw herself at the man who was still smirking in Gohan's direction. He turned as Videl's fist connected with his jaw sending him face first into the dirt hard enough to quake the property.

The mercenaries on stage watching the exhibition all laughed at their friend's expense, "Mymy Horseshoe, you really let her whomp you one!"

Videl's breath was ragged as she recovered from throwing so much into that punch.

"That… hurt!" The man pushed himself from the ground, his sunglasses shattered and his suit frayed as looked over Videl with an angry glint in his eye.

"There's plenty more where that came from!" Videl shouted but immediately lost her bravado. The movement was barely noticeable as the man had dropped to horse stance and drove his fist into her stomach. Videl's eyes were wide as she stumbled backwards and immediately clutched her stomach. She fell to her knees and groaned loudly from the pain.

"You definitely surprised me you little bitch, but even if you're strong, you're still no match for the Crane style martial arts," The man grinned as he pulled his fist back and readied a finishing blow, "When you wake up in the emergency room, be sure and tell your dad that the Crane Mercs say hi."

Horseshoe's fist was once again glowing a white light as it flew towards Videl. The skull breaking punch drove its way toward Videl's prone form but was intercepted in an instant as another fist collided with his own, knuckle to knuckle.

Horseshoe jumped back and stared angrily at Gohan, "Damn kid, I don't know who you are but you've got major cajones to keep getting up like… this…" Gohan's steadfast stare was slightly unnerving, and then the man finally started noticing his hand. His fist that connected with Gohan's was mangled, at least three fingers were dislocated and the knuckles were shattered. He couldn't form words as the pain started registering.

The teenage intruder seemed to notice and stared at Gohan curiously but didn't have much time to compile his thoughts as a startling cry interrupted everything.

"EVILDOERS BEWARE!" Before anyone could tell what was happening, a shout echoed across the yard from the front patio. The Dragon stood there, his arms bent in a flexing pose. He leaned to his left and lifted his arms to his right, "I am here to remove the blackened peel of crime from the rotten banana of injustice," he switched his stance to the opposite side, "I will add the creamer of light to dull the bitterness of your evil unholy coffee taste," He flexed one arm behind his head and extended the other out in a fist, "I will use the spatula of purity to scramble the eggs of your malfeasance," He stood up straight with his hands on hips, "Run in fear now, for I am The Dragon!"

Everyone present was reduced to dumbstruck stares trying to figure out what was going on. Gohan too could only scratch his head as his mouth hung open.

The mustached man on stage who appeared to be the boss finally regained some sense, "And to think we were concerned about running into this Dragon character…" He pointed one finger towards the patio, "Dodon Ray!" a light blasted forth from the finger and The Dragon turned just in time to see the stone pillars which held up the roof shatter and everything starting to fall towards him.

Gohan grit his teeth as he ran towards the collapsing building and pushed The Dragon out of the way. Sharp and Erasa ran from around the corner just in time to see Gohan push The Dragon to safety before the stone roof fell, burying Gohan in the rubble. "GOHAN!" The two ran to the pile of brick and marble and began trying to pull chunks away to uncover their friend.

Videl also pushed past the pain in her abdomen and ran toward the mayhem. Everything in her head was screaming at her to dig through the mess for her friend, but the gang of mercs was still nearby, and laughing. Videl grit her teeth as everyone started lifting pieces of concrete and marble out of the way. There had to be tons of the stuff covering the ground where Gohan had been, but everyone else was still in danger with the mercs nearby, "Erasa, Sharp, please hurry and find him! I'm counting on you two!"

"On it!" Sharp strained as he lifted huge chunks of marble out of the way.

Wally ran out of the house and join Sharp, "I'll help here!"

"Good! And… Dragon boy," Videl had to nearly spit as she saw how awkward this boy in a costume looked in front of her, "do you know how to actually fight?"

Oakley cleared his throat and assumed a straight posture, "Of course! I am a hero aftera…"

"I'M SERIOUS DAMN IT!" Videl yelled angrily as she tore the lower half from her dress that was constricting her movements before.

Oakley gulped and deflated, "Yeah, I've trained in martial arts for years."

"Good, then you take the guy on the left and I'll take the two on the right!" Videl wasted no time as she charged through the crowd and jumped to the stage and launched a flying kick at the leader of the group. He side stepped out of the way but Videl immediately bounced to the woman further right and tried to surprise her with a right hook. Before she could land a hit Videl was kicked from the left, but with her increased flexibility she was able to roll with the attack and get back up again.

Oakley was lagging behind Videl but tackled at the man on the left. His attack was easily avoided, but Oakley kept up a tenacious effort throwing a series of kicks and punches at the man. The lithe man held a hand out and gripped onto Oakley's helmet. Being the smaller fighter, Oakley's range wasn't long enough to overcome the man's arm length and he simply swung at air over and over.

Videl slipped around the other girl's side with a fake out attack from the right while actually attacking from the left. The girl held up an arm to block the kick but Videl pushed through and managed to slide the girl off stage. The man with the mustache appeared behind Videl, but before he could take advantage of the situation Videl had already swung around with an uppercut to not be taken by surprise. Her attack was dodged and the man kept his hands behind his back as Videl took more swipes at his legs to get him off balance.

The man ducked down and spun on one heel with his other leg pointed out, "This is how you perform a leg sweep!"

Videl's legs were pushed out from under her and she yelled as she fell to the ground.

The fallen patio roof shifted slightly as the others were still digging through it. Erasa started shouting, "Gohan! Are you OK?! Please say something if you can hear us!"

The mercenary boy who came in first sat back and watched everyone doing their thing without taking much action, "Brave kids, shame they don't stand a chance in hell." He turned to the shadowed part of the house and began to walk away, "I guess they don't really need me here then."

The boys eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. Before he could sneak away his senses were assaulted by a massive buildup of energy. He looked concerned as whatever he was sensing was big, and it was close. He looked around but couldn't pinpoint it. Whatever this was he knew he should be able to see it easily, it should be huge and right on top of him. He finally realized he needed to look up.

A light flared in the sky starting out as almost an orb of flames. The licks of the light almost roared as it began reshaping into the intimidating form of a winged dragon and then dove rapidly from the sky. It landed on the stage and in a final flare of flame and light it vanished leaving only the true Dragon standing in front of the mercenaries.

Everything in the courtyard came to an immediate halt. The newcomer stood in a poised and authoritative manner which commanded attention.

Videl pushed herself up on her elbows, "It's really you this time…"

The mustached leader of the mercenaries grinned, "I had been expecting more from this famous Dragon than what we had seen so far. It makes sense now that there is more than one person who carries the title."

The Dragon looked over at Oakley who was staring at him with a stupid grin and almost starry eyed. He shook his head and returned his attention to the leader, "Sorry, but I'm THE Dragon, the one and only."

Videl took notice of the sincerity of The Dragon's statement and bit her lip.

"No matter," The man addressed the shorter hero, "Once you two are out of the way then only that oaf Satan will stand in our way of ransacking this entire city!"

The man jumped at The Dragon so fast it shocked Videl who pushed herself up as quickly as she could to see what was happening. The Dragon blocked the punch with his forearm, "So it seems you actually have some skill after all." The man pushed off The Dragon's arm and started a flurry of attacks, most of them just blurs to the spectators as punches and kicks were hurled at The Dragon. As each incoming attack approached The Dragon would simply lean to one side or another. The man grunted as he shadow boxed with the air. He picked up the pace another level, the swings of hands little more than blurs as he desperately tried to land a hit.

No one else moved, even the other mercenaries watched anxiously as their leader and The Dragon became locked in combat. The punches remained one sided as The Dragon only dodged for several more seconds until they broke away and landed several meters apart from each other.

"It appears I may have underestimated you," The mercenary leader began, "You are obviously well trained by a master such as ourselves. Allow me to introduce ourselves properly, I am Maneki, the leader of the Crane Mercenaries and disciple of the illustrious Crane style of martial arts."

"Crane… Crane… That does kinda sound familiar for some reason…" The Dragon mumbled to himself.

With a confident smirk, Maneki continued, "If by chance you've heard of the style then you know how dangerous it can be, I'd recommend surrender before you end up dead."

The Dragon grinned, "I'll take my chances."

"Have it your way!" An energy began building around Maneki, he had a visible aura of ki that swirled around his body, "Now prepare yourself for the devastating soul smasher!"

"Bring it on," The Dragon held his hands to his side, challenging the attack head on.

"I warned you punk!" Sparks of energy buzzed around Maneki's fist moments before he attacked. In a burst of speed it appeared as though his body warped in a straight line, extending from his original standing position to his striking point before eventually contracting into his final stance. Maneki's fist was firmly set on The Dragon's face. A confident smirk on Maneki's face stated he knew the fight was over.

A second passed before Maneki's eyes widened in horror. His fist which had made absolute contact with the Dragon had failed to do so much as tilt his head back. As he pulled his hand away it was obvious the contact he made had amounted to absolutely nothing, "That's… That's not possible!"

"Is that it?" The Dragon grinned as he took a step forward.

Startled, Maneki jumped back, "Don't just gawk you idiots! Horseshoe, Wishbone, Clover, Charm, get up here and help me!"

Maneki's adult minions all joined him at his side except for Horseshoe who was still cradling his broken hand.

"We can take him together!" The four of them attempted to gang up on The Dragon from four sides. Nothing made it through The Dragon's defense though as he blocked every punch with extreme precision with only the force needed to push back the attacker.

"YEAH DO IT!" Oakley cheered while still wearing his Dragon costume.

The four mercenaries jumped away from The Dragon and immediately regrouped. The thinner merc, Wishbone, was out of breath as he exclaimed, "Boss, we're not getting anywhere!"

"Fine…" Maneki growled under his breath, "Know this Dragon, you brought this upon yourself… JINX!"

The younger boy in the green fighting gi opened his eyes wide, "What?! Me?!"

The Dragon eyed him for a moment but immediately turned back around to Maneki.

"Don't let him intimidate you Jinx!" Maneki ordered, "We've trained you better than most, you have the power to destroy! Now use it!"

Jinx gulped as he approached. He side stepped around The Dragon slowly as he tried to measure the costumed boy up. Jinx was almost trembling as he could still feel The Dragon's power, "Maneki… I can't do this… I don't stand a chance against him!"

"Don't be a fool Jinx!" Maneki shouted, "Do what I say, NOW!"

Jinx lowered himself into a fighting stance but was obviously still shaken.

"We don't have to do this," The Dragon could easily see the boy's anxiety, "Say you're sorry and give up and this can be all over."

"I…" Jinx gulped down his nervousness as he started to feel excited, "You're strong, probably a lot stronger than I am, but I have to try my best!"

The Dragon grinned, "I guess I have to oblige you then."

Jinx kneeled down and dropped a pellet that exploded and immediately surrounded him with smoke. The Dragon squinted his eyes not expecting Jinx to use such tools in this fight. Before he could pinpoint Jinx's location, the boy crashed into The Dragon's abdomen from the side with his knee. Taken by surprise Jinx was able to launch The Dragon across the stage.

The Dragon grit his teeth and pushed himself back across the stage turned arena. The two boys met at the center with their forearms clashing. The Dragon didn't want to hurt Jinx, but it was obvious to him that he was going to need to use at least a little more power than he was. The two started trading a flurry of blows, punching, kicking, blocking, and dodging. The two were matching each other hit for hit, and as The Dragon slowly upped his energy level to compensate Jinx was still keeping up.

The Dragon broke away from the budokai style assault and took to the sky, floating several meters above the property. Jinx jumped up as well and used his energy to keep himself floating at the same height as The Dragon.

"Stop playing around!" Maneki shouted from below, "Use your special technique and finish this!"

Jinx gulped, "It won't work…"

Now angry, Maneki yelled, "DO IT!"

Jinx pointed one finger in front of him. His energy gathered from around his body and built up in the one spot in front of his finger, "Super… DODON… PA!"

The Dragon watched as the energy beam formed and fired in his direction, "You're right, it won't work!" Gathering energy quickly, The Dragon held his hands at his side, "KAMEHAMEHAA!"

"Turtle style…" Maneki glared wide eyed as the blue beam from The Dragon and the yellow beam from Jinx met. It took no time for the Kamehameha to push the Dodonpa back towards Jinx. The boy barely managed to jump out of the way before the beam flew off past him and dissipated off high in the atmosphere.

Maneki practically growled, "So… the turtle hermit still has disciples as well!"

Jinx was trying to catch his breath as he kept a close eye on The Dragon, "Amazing, I've never fought anyone as strong as you before…"

The Dragon crossed his arms, "You're gifted, why use that power for selfish gain?"

Jinx looked down solemnly for a second but then shrugged, "I have my reasons, they tell me what to do and I do it."

An angry look crossed The Dragon's face, "That's no way to live!" Jinx was almost knocked out of the sky by how adamantly The Dragon yelled at him, "Decide for yourself how you want to live your life and walk in your own shoes, not the ones someone else has put out for you."

Jinx looked to the side for a moment as if debating The Dragon's words.

"Jinx! Use your last technique!" Maneki ordered.

Jinx's eyes widened, almost in fear, "But… I…"

"NO BUTS! JUST DO IT!" All the rest of the mercenaries seemed to be gathering below.

"You don't have to do what he says if you don't want to," The Dragon reasoned one more time.

Jinx appeared to be having an internal struggle. The boy sighed after a moment of thought, "You're right, I don't _have_ to…"

The Dragon smiled as he heard those words, "You're not a bad guy after all!"

Jinx narrowed his eyes and then burst higher into the air. He held his hands in front of him, putting his fingers together in a diamond shape, the image of The Dragon zoomed in to sight between his fingers like a scope, "I never said that… TRI-BEAM HAAA!"

The Dragon immediately recognized Tien's signature move and tried to shield himself as the life draining attack hit. He'd never been the target of the Tri-beam before and was taken by surprise by the amount of force it pushed down upon him.

"HAA! HAA! HAA!" Each burst forced The Dragon closer to the ground until he was practically embedded in it. The weight the beam placed upon him was just too much to resist as the ground around him collapsed in the shape of a square and continued pushing him down.

Everyone's eyes were on Jinx and The Dragon as it appeared Jinx currently held the upper hand. The sweat building in Jinx's face though indicated he wasn't going to last much longer. With only one eye open his beams were obviously having less and less of an effect and The Dragon was recovering. With one last burst of concentration he opened both eyes and slammed down on The Dragon as hard as he could.

The Dragon shrugged off the attack and powered up to return to the fight. Once he was airborne though there was only a wisp of smoke and no one else around. Jinx had used the opportunity to make his escape. The crowd finally noticed that even the other five mercenaries disappeared during the excitement as well.

The Dragon squeezed his palms tight, "The Crane Mercenaries huh… I'll be keeping an eye out for you guys, count on it."

"Dragon!" Videl called from below. The Dragon turned to look at her and once she had his attention she weakly mouthed, "Thank you."

The Dragon smiled and nodded to her.

"This is it, heave!" Videl turned to see Sharp and the others were lifting a huge cement block off the patio.

Now that the threat of the mercs was over Videl ran at full speed to where Gohan was buried, "Is he alright?!" She looked over her shoulder as she ran and noticed The Dragon had already disappeared.

Sharp strained to speak as he pulled as hard as he could on the block, "I think we're almost to the bottom!"

Videl joined him and between the two of them they lifted the large cement stone out of the way. A gust of wind ruffled their clothes as the dust picked up and they tossed the slab away.

Where the mound of stone had been was a very dirty Gohan on the ground. "Hey guys," Gohan said meekly as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, checked himself over, and then started brushing the dust off.

Videl and Erasa immediately jumped in and tackled Gohan into a hug. Erasa was practically in tears, "GOHAN! We thought for sure you had been crushed to death!"

Sharp joined in the group hug as well, "You dumbass! What were you thinking?"

Gohan grinned while scratching the back of his head, "I guess I wasn't really thinking. I saw The Dragon was in danger and just sort of reacted."

Videl took a step back and slapped Gohan over the side of the head, "I can't believe how stupid you were today!" Videl huffed then quickly calmed down, "But you were also very brave… thank you."

"Yeah, you were definitely a hero today Gohan!" Erasa cheered.

Sharp looked to the side and nearly growled, "Definitely more so than those posers pretending to be The Dragon."

Wally and Oakley looked down in shame not able to say much yet.

Videl sighed, "First off, Gohan, are you hurt?"

Gohan stretched his arms, legs, and neck muscles as if checking for injury, "Nah, nothing too bad, I'll be fine!"

"Good," Videl breathed a sigh of relief then walked over to the Timber cousins. She struggled to tone down her anger as she walked, "And you two… if you weren't The Dragon you should have been honest and said so from the beginning!"

Oakley groveled in front of Videl, "I'm sorry it was my fault!"

Videl crossed her arms as she tried to decide how to handle the situation, "Why did you lie then?"

"I…" Oakley gulped as he looked back up at the girl, "…I met you once… a while back at one of your dad's ceremonies… I said hi to you but you were busy with other things… You were really cool and I wanted to impress you so… I could ask you out…"

Videl's eyes squeezed shut as she tried not to growl, "…You're lucky… this stunt you pulled could have gotten you or someone else killed. I swear if my friend had been hurt because you were pretending to be a hero then you would have had _hell _to pay!"

Oakley lowered himself even closer to the ground as Videl dug into him, "I'm sorry!"

Gohan watched as Videl leered over the kid and with a sigh he walked over to them, "Videl?"

The girl turned to her friend, her posture obviously still aggressive.

"It's okay," Gohan worked to calm her down, "No one was hurt this time."

"This time! But someone could have been…" Videl's temper was slowly cooling over.

"But they weren't, and I think some lessons have been learned," Gohan held a hand out to Oakley to help him stand back up, "_right_?"

"Definitely!" Oakley responded immediately, "I'll never pretend to be someone I'm not ever again!"

"Then I forgive you!" Gohan hoisted Oakley to his feet.

"Thanks," Oakley bowed courteously to Gohan, "And thank you for saving me from being crushed, I'm really glad you're alright."

"Of course!" Gohan laughed happily and the spirits of everyone around noticeably lifted.

"Maybe…" Oakley hoped he wasn't pushing his luck, "We could still become friends then?"

Gohan looked over his shoulder and smiled at his friends. They couldn't help but smile back and nod. Videl finally spoke again, "Yeah, having more friends is always cool."

With the excitement over most of the party guests made hasty exits. A yell from the stage caught everyone's attention. Wally climbed up quickly, "Is everything alright dad?"

"Those… damn… rotten…" Mr. Timbers cursed as his complexion reddened, "The Crane Mercs made off with over twelve billion zeni!"

Erasa gasped while Gohan and Videl clenched their fists. "Just wait til next time…" they both muttered too quietly for anyone else to hear.

The four didn't stay much longer and idly chatted as they walked home. Sharp was feeling pumped still after everything that happened, "This evening sure turned into something exciting huh?"

"No kidding!" Erasa agreed, "Who would have thought that our first big adventure as MASK would turn into all of that?"

Sharp nodded, "I hope all of our investigations can be this much fun!"

With a slight chuckle Erasa added, "So long as Gohan doesn't almost die then I'm up for it!"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"I know!" Sharp exclaimed, "We can start training you and Gohan in some martial arts, with the way you guys danced today I bet you'll pick up on it real quick. And then we won't have to worry about you as much!"

"Uhh… actually…" Gohan started to speak.

"Ahh home!" Erasa stretched then yawned as they approached her walkway, "I guess everything that happened today wore me out more than I thought it would."

"Yeah," Gohan looked away for a moment but then smiled, "You'll sleep well tonight for sure!"

Erasa hugged Gohan and then kissed him on the left cheek causing him to blush, "Thank you for everything today Gohan! I had soo much fun! We have to go on a date again sometime!"

"Uhhhh… date…? Ummm… yeah…" Gohan gulped nervously as a violent tint of red spread over most of his face.

Erasa giggled and waved before skipping off to her front door.

Sharp gave Gohan a funny look as the blush refused to settle off the black haired boy's face. Sharp eventually grinned and slugged Gohan's arm gently, "Night you guys!"

"Night!" Gohan called back.

"Night…" Videl said a little less enthusiastically.

The two stood quietly in front of Sharp and Erasa's house for a few more seconds, "Sooo…" Videl started, "Where do you live exactly Gohan?"

Gohan cleared his throat before answering, "I actually live pretty far from here, I have to commute every day."

Videl still wasn't quite looking at Gohan, "I see, then do you have a ride coming to get you?"

"It'll come down when I call it," Gohan shifted from one foot to the other, "I've got time though so I can walk with you to your house until then."

"I don't need anyone to walk me home," Videl said a little defensively.

"I know," Gohan grinned, "But it would be nice to have someone to talk to on the way there right?"

Videl finally looked up at Gohan's eyes, "I guess you're right."

"So… about The Dragon…" Gohan started getting nervous again.

"He was there tonight," Videl interjected with a bit more excitement than she intended.

"He was…? I mean… I know…" Gohan kept tripping over his words.

"And you know what?" Videl walked a little closer to Gohan.

Gohan gulped, "What?"

"I wouldn't admit this to hardly anyone," Videl stopped walking and made sure she had Gohan's attention to signify the seriousness of what she was about to say, "He's stronger than I am."

"You… you really think so?" Gohan realized this was a huge admission for Videl.

With a nod Videl started walking again, "You were right with what you said about those guys at the party." Videl's tone became a little somber, "They were definitely highly skilled and very strong. I could just barely keep up with them. I…" the girl sighed, "I couldn't have beaten them on my own. But The Dragon… When he showed up and fought them, as much of a hard time as I had fighting them, they had an even harder time fighting him. He wasn't just slightly above their skill he was way out of their league. I wanted to be upset with him for being that strong when I've trained my whole life to get as strong as I am now, but for some reason when I think about him I can't help but admire him."

The two walked in companionable silence while Gohan thought of something to say, "Videl… You should know that…"

"I know…" Videl interrupted the boy.

"You… wait, what?" Gohan shook his head out of confusion.

"Yeah, the best thing that I can do is follow his example." Videl didn't see Gohan's head cock to the side behind her, "He's proven that it's possible to get that strong, and I intend to match that strength and surpass it!"

"That's not…" Gohan sighed and then smiled, "I'm glad you're looking at it that way, I'm sure if you work hard enough that anything is possible for you."

"Thank you Gohan, that means a lot to me," Videl stopped in front of the gate to her house. "Are you sure you're going to be alright waiting for your ride home? I'd be more than happy to walk you to wherever you're supposed to be picked up from." Videl couldn't help but tease Gohan a little in the way she said it.

Gohan shook his head, "Don't worry, I'm gonna call my ride right now so I'll get picked up nearby."

"Good…" Videl didn't go inside right away. She was looking away again, a slight blush flushed across her cheeks as she seemed to be thinking of something, "And thank you Gohan, for being so sweet and understanding. Before you came around there were all these things I just didn't feel like I could talk to people about, but I know I can talk to you about anything. So… yeah…"

"Anytime Videl," Gohan closed his eyes as he smiled that genuine Son smile, "I mean it! You're one of the most amazing persons I've ever met so whenever you need to talk about anything at all, I promise I'll listen."

Videl suddenly moved in close and kissed Gohan on the right cheek. They both blushed as Videl turned to pass through the gate to her home, "Thank you, have a good night Gohan."

Gohan nodded absently, "Yeah, you too."

Videl walked the rest of the way to her house without looking back. Gohan stood in place shocked until Videl was inside. He put both his hands up to his cheeks and stood with his mouth hanging open for a minute. Finally he realized it was getting late and he ran off in the other direction.

From a tree that overlooked the top of the fence on the Satan property, a large man gripped onto a branch hard enough that it snapped in half, "Just who does that scrawny kid think he is putting the moves on my little princess?! I'll show him! No one weaker than me is gonna date my little girl!" As Mr. Satan motioned violently with his arms, the shifting weight caused the branch he was sitting on to break.

"Nimbus!" Mr. Satan heard the boy shout as he picked himself up off the ground and ran out the gate. Once outside though the street was completely empty.

Mr. Satan growled, "You may have lucked out this time you little punk, but the next time you come around here you better believe that you are in for a Satan style ass whooping!" The man turned and marched back inside.

* * *

**End Chapter**

What a Casanova, a kiss on both cheeks from different girls! Poor kid is going to have his work cut out sorting all this out in his head.

This was a really long chapter, but I felt it wasn't long enough or with enough of a break to split it into two chapters. The Crane school hasn't been seen in the Dragon Ball world for quite some time so it seemed appropriate to bring in a force to provide some entry level perspective into actual DBZ style martial arts. Hope the fight scene was still interesting despite being pretty one sided. Of course the major events in the story are going to focus on the interaction between Gohan and his friends, so I'm hopeful that those interactions are proving to be at least slightly appealing to read.

Thanks for sticking around for another chapter and please let me know what you think so far!

'Til Next time!


	7. Behind the Curtain

Sorry it's been a few weeks since the last update. Holidays are terrible for me since I end up spending them with family in a small town that only has 56k Internet still. Hopefully we can get back on schedule now though!

Last time on Legend!

Videl showed once again her ability to see through lies by knowing the Timber boys were not being honest to their claim about being The Dragon. When everyone tried to decide how to deal with the Timber boys, the party was attacked. A group of fighters calling themselves the Crane Mercenaries demanded all the guests hand over all their money and belongings. Though Videl put up a good fight, it became obvious that the Crane Mercenaries were much stronger and more trained than even her. Just when things seemed bleak the real Dragon appeared and proved to be far superior to even the Crane Mercs greatest fighter. Using a last ditch maneuver that could have cost Jinx his life, he poured his life energy into a tribeam attack to try and hold Gohan off long enough for everyone to get away. Though the party was crashed Gohan and his friends all admitted they had a good time and their bonds grew took a strong leap forward.

And thank you to all the reviews that were left from the last chapter!

wheathermangohanssj4 - I'm glad you got to enjoy the last chapter!

32nd freeze - You need Mr. Satan to be a dork every now and then just to top things off.

pir84lyf - So violent! Gohan doesn't like hurting people if he doesn't have to. You're probably right though.

Ern Estine 13624 - Thanks!

KiwiS92 - Darn it! It does make a square hole... I got that totally wrong! I'll have to fix that eventually. I'm also looking forward to see how Gohan handles attention though.

anonymous - I didn't make it very clear, but the shift of the rubble was pretty much Gohan crawling out faster than others could notice. Gohan's got game and he probably doesn't even know it. Hercule might make things interesting too.

lazybum131 - Ohhh, I definitely agree here. Gohan wouldn't be taking normal humans seriously which is why I think they'd have a chance at surprising him even if they can't beat him. Unless there is a danger of people getting killed I don't think Gohan would use all of his abilities on people. It can do more harm than good to swat a fly with a sledge hammer also. Had the mercs been out trying to murder people rather than just steal from them, I think there would have been a totally different side of Gohan coming out in that fight.

Sharkdude5 - Thank you!

maximusrexmundi - I've been spending some time in the original Dragon Ball and bringing the Crane School in seemed like a good way to challenge characters who are non-god-like-aliens while being able to have some fun with it. I think it can work out and I'm glad you liked it!

duskrider - Gohan harem style... nah.

Penelope - We can't let Gohan have it too easy now can we? XD

Blazingnyancat - Thanks for the reviews! I agree 100%!

Bored123 - I figure the same thing. People get away with way more around Superman who's an even bigger OP mess than Gohan. I will definitely work on keeping things enjoyable though. Thanks!

00gohan123 - Thanks for reading all the way through so far! For the time being I have plenty of stories that I need to finish before I start taking on more projects. I'll eventually get caught up and hopefully by then you'll still have some ideas for me!

Guest - Thanks, I will try!

LegendOfTomorrow - Just a bit maybe... If only Gohan's friends would stop and make things easier for him!

Penelope - Yay Happy Holidays! Hope yours was awesome!

Guest - The easy way out is rarely the most entertaining.

Guest - Super Saiyan under his costume. Nah, I don't think he'd feel there'd be any reason to do that. The whole reason he went super in the beginning was be a little less recognizable. The costume takes care of that now. Tien knew the Tribeam during the time he still knew the Master Shen, I'm willing to take the liberty of Master Shen disseminating the move even if Tien was the one who originated it. (Update: After rewatching Dragon Ball I came to find out Master Shen did teach Tien the Tribeam and Master Roshi was quite upset at Master Shen for doing that.) I got nothing for three, besides saying I broke cannon... sorry... Fourth though, I don't see why Master Shen's limitations would affect his students. All of Master Roshi's students were much stronger than him even in the beginning of DBZ before the saiyans arrived, I don't see why the Crane school couldn't have found a few exceptionally gifted students who could have surpassed the teachers and had a few surprises up their sleeves. The Tri-beam is definitely a life draining move, which is why Jinx didn't want to use it. So I definitely had to take a few liberties, but as much as I try to reference source material in the things I write, I definitely don't have a problem straying a bit and writing in some differences. I'm not perfect and definitely have screw ups but I hope it doesn't detract too much from the entertainment value. Thanks!

Dyton - Don't give too much of my plot away before I get there XD Thanks for the awesome comments as always! Future interactions between Gohan and the Satans are definitely going to be interesting.

Ethan Demas - Don't know if you'll read this but thanks for the review! It's awesome to have another reader who's come back from ZAT! I still want to get back to expand on that series more eventually. I like where you're going with the Smallville vibe. I never saw much of Smallville, but what I did see I liked. I've also been thinking a lot about commissioning an artist to draw up Gohan in The Dragon suit for me. I should start reaching out to some DeviantArt folks sometime soon.

Thank you all who just come by to read also! I hope I can continue to entertain you all!

Now onto the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Behind the Curtain**

* * *

A small metal humming bird fluttered slowly around an empty classroom. It made small circles as if it were looking for something. It perked up and flew a few meters in one direction, stopped, made a slight correction and turned towards the back of the room. It flew in close to the Wi-Fi broadcaster and started circling it while chirping.

"I think you did it Erasa!" Erasa and two of her friends looked over the flying device, the more excited one was thin with brown hair, while the third girl had pale blue hair and glasses.

"It would appear your wave length sensor on the Humming Em-Fi Bird is correctly able to decipher the direction in which wireless signals are emanating," The blue haired girl gave the impression that she didn't show much more emotion than she already was.

Erasa pulled the two girls into a group hug, "Haruhi, Tabatha, Thank you! I couldn't have done it without your help!"

The quickly beating wing of the little bird suddenly seized and it immediately fell to the floor like a rock where it convulsed due to the stuck gyro.

"Oh no!" Erasa quickly pulled out her controller and turned the small robot off to save it from further damage.

Tabatha leaned over and picked up the device, "It appears we may be fortunate that only the mechanical components have taken damage."

"That's a relief," Haruhi sighed, "Then I'll go grab us another servo to replace that one with."

Erasa pulled out a screwdriver and grinned, "Thanks Haruhi, can you see if there are any titanium ones in this size? I think I can get more power out of the motor and it would be great to add some stronger parts to compensate."

"Sure!" Haruhi set off down the hall of the science wing. The school was mostly desolate on this Saturday morning. There was no one else in the science wing of the school as Haruhi's steps echoed between the walls; a far cry from typical school day noise.

The engineering instructor had trusted the girls with the keys to the lab and supply closet so Haruhi was used to making use of the spare robotics parts on the weekend. What she wasn't used to was the eerie sound of shuffling and scratching coming from behind her after she opened the closet.

Haruhi gulped and slowly turned around. The hall was still dark and empty, nothing looked out of place, "Hello?" she called but got no response, "Is anyone there?"

Silence was all that reached Haruhi's ears for a few moments. Deciding she was being paranoid, Haruhi returned her focus on rummaging through the closet of parts.

Most of the parts were widely disorganized as many middle school students tended to just throw parts into random boxes, "The servos _were_ in this box… where did they…" The shuffling sound started up again from behind Haruhi causing her to stop and listen. There was no mistaking it, something was definitely behind her.

Deciding she wasn't about to let this eat at her, Haruhi took a few breaths before turning around quickly. She came face to face with a reptilian face of something like a dinosaur.

In the classroom, Erasa and Tabatha heard a loud scream from down the hall, "Haruhi?" Erasa quickly put the bird down and ran out of the room with Tabatha close behind her. The two girls turned the last corner to where the supply closet was and saw what looked to be a six foot tall pterodactyl standing in the doorway to the closet.

Erasa's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh!" The pterodactyl turned and looked right at her. From over a wing she was able to make out Haruhi's unconscious form in the closet. Erasa reached down to a pocket near the ankle of her pants and pulled out a metal rod which extended and then sparked at the tip, "Get away from her!"

The pterodactyl didn't make any moves, so Erasa jumped forward and jabbed at it with her stun baton. Contact with the dinosaur sent a shock through its body and caused it to shriek loudly. It quickly shrugged off the voltage and then glared at the girls angrily.

Tabatha fixed her glasses, "That may have been unwise…" she then turned to run.

Erasa shrieked as the pterodactyl snapped at her. She quickly turned around and ran after Tabatha with the pterodactyl close behind.

The two girls slid around the corner, running as fast as they could through the school halls. The Pterodactyl being bigger and not airborne was slightly awkward on the ground and bounced off the lockers on the wall before turning and continuing chase.

A large set of security doors separating the science wing from the rest of the school was only a few hundred feet ahead. The girls instinctively knew if they could just get to that door before the dinosaur they may be able to seal it shut behind them.

Before they could reach the door it burst open. The girls slid to the ground, their eyes wide in shock as purple winged dragon ran into the hall from doors. The lithe dragon had to be at least three feet longer than the pterodactyl, and its wingspan took up nearly the entire width of the hallway. Their heart beats echoed through their ears as the beast charged in their direction and then jumped right over their heads. It let out a growl as it pounced the pterodactyl to the ground.

The girls watched in near disbelief as the pterodactyl and winged dragon squared off in the science wing of their school.

"Down Icarus!" turning back toward the door the girls saw the hero they knew as The Dragon run in and jump between the two monster like creatures. The winged dragon immediately heeled, but the pterodactyl screeched loudly still looking angry until The Dragon thumped it on the head, "NO! Bad Toh Toh!"

The pterodactyl whimpered but visibly calmed, "That's a good boy," The Dragon soothed the young dinosaur, "Now why are you all causing such a ruckus?"

"Umm… Mr. Dragon?" Erasa stood back up and cautiously approached the scene.

"Oh hi Era…errr… I've… umm… seen you before right?" The Dragon stumbled.

Erasa nodded, "Yes! I was at the Timber's party last week when the Crane Mercenaries robbed the place."

"That must be it!" The Dragon grinned.

"It's so awesome that you remembered me!" Erasa felt secure in the knowledge that The Dragon had the situation under control and took a few steps closer. She peered at The Dragon's eyes through the red scouter visor and then looked over the rest of the suit, paying close attention to the skin tight bits.

The Dragon tried not to blush under the obvious scrutiny, then quickly regained his composure, "Are you two alright?"

Erasa suddenly remembered Haruhi, "We're fine, but our friend Haruhi might be hurt!" She took off running down the hall.

The Dragon watched Erasa and Tabatha run down the hall, "Icarus, make sure Toh Toh stays put!" The winged dragon nodded to his friend as The Dragon ran after the girls.

Erasa made her way back to the supply closet and found Haruhi still out cold. She immediately placed two fingers to her throat and felt for a pulse. She then checked for any signs of injuries. Once she was satisfied she sighed in relief, "Looks like she just fainted, I don't see anything wrong with her."

"Glad to hear!" The Dragon also looked genuinely relieved.

Erasa tilted her head at the young hero, "Have you always had a pet dragon? Or is that why you call yourself The Dragon?"

"He's not really a pet," The Dragon chuckled, "We have been friends for years though."

"I see," Erasa grinned, "It seems to be that you're also familiar with that dinosaur."

"Yeah…" The Dragon shuffled slightly, "Toh Toh is part of a family of pterodactyls that I'm familiar with, they wouldn't normally be aggressive at all, and I've never seen them leave their territory before. This morning I was really surprised to see their whole nest was empty. That's why I'm having Icarus help me track them."

Erasa thought on these details for a moment, "Is their nest around here?"

The Dragon shook his head, "No, it's actually a bit of a distance for them to fly. And Toh Toh might not look it but he's actually one of the younger pterodactyls, so it's really odd that he'd be out here on his own. I'm actually really worried about what this means."

Still plugging pieces together Erasa asked, "Are they dangerous?"

The Dragon shook his head, "Unless they're competing for food, these pterodactyls are normally pretty docile, and there's no shortage of food in the area they live…"

"So that means they must have a really good reason for coming all this way," Erasa deduced.

The Dragon nodded in agreement, "That makes sense… But what…?"

"What's more important to them than food?" Erasa asked off the top of her head.

The Dragon shrugged, "Good question."

Haruhi began to groan and stir as she woke back up. Her eyes opened and immediately took notice of The Dragon, "Oh wow…"

"Glad you're alright," The Dragon smiled to the young girl, "I need to find the rest of the pterodactyls now, sorry you guys got caught up in that."

Erasa held her hand out, "Wait, is there anything we can help you with?"

The Dragon stopped and looked at Erasa for a moment, "Well…" The Dragon messed with his radio receiver for a moment looking for an unused frequency, "Do you have an adjustable radio transmitter?"

Erasa grinned, "Are you kidding? I made one of those in kindergarten!"

"Great!" The Dragon grinned, "Then don't put yourself in any danger, but if you happen to see anymore dinosaurs, call it out on 297.3 Megahertz and I'll hear it."

Erasa pulled out her custom Sat-Tab device, "Ohh… I have The Dragon's number! I bet not many girls can say that!"

The Dragon blushed again, "I suppose not."

Erasa leaned in, "Thanks for your help hero," she kissed The Dragon on the cheek enjoying herself as she watched the blush deepen even further, "You better get to work I suppose though."

"Yeah… Work… On it!" The Dragon turned and ran back down the hall.

Erasa turned and winked at Haruhi, "He's cute huh?"

Haruhi blushed slightly and nodded. Tabatha shrugged and didn't seem too interested one way or the other.

Erasa grinned more confidently, "So are either of you interested in looking for more dinosaurs?"

Several blocks away, a sparring match was taking place at a local dojo. Sharp wore his sandan black belt uniform as he squared off against an opponent at least twice his age.

"Do it Sharp!" A few other boys Sharp's age silently cheered for him, though quietly as they kneeled at the edge of the ring.

The man opposite to Sharp grunted and charged at the boy. The man looked as though he was going to punch with his left, but switched off at the last moment and kicked high from the right. Sharp still easily ducked out of the way, and then continued to block the next attacks.

With a grunt of frustration the man charged in and kicked forward. Sharp caught the man's foot in front of him, "Sensei, no offense but this is too easy." Sharp threw the man's leg forward knocking him off balance and backwards to the floor. Sharp's grin spoke volumes of confidence as he turned to his teacher and bowed, "Master Kenshiro, I request an additional challenge, please allow me to spar with three challengers at once."

The man acknowledged Sharp's skill though was still slightly skeptical. He didn't want to see any of his pupils get hurt under his watch, "I'll allow it…" He pointed to two more of the adult students, "Lee, Jacky, please accept Sharp's challenge."

The other two black belts nodded and joined their other comrade on the floor. The boys who had been rooting for Sharp watched intently as the four participants bowed to each other in respect before they began. Sharp lowered his stance as his surrounding opponents charged in from different directions.

Sharp blocked the first kick from his left then, being short, was easily able to slide under the punch from in front of him and managed to double tap the fighter's chest, knocking him back. Before the fighter on his right could land a punch, Sharp connected his elbow to the man's fist then dropped down into a leg sweep to kick him off balance. He kept the spinning momentum going as he rose up and delivered a roundhouse to the man who had started on his left.

"Very good, you're well on your way to yondan rank if you keep up your training with the level of tenacity you've shown so far," Sensei Kenshiro praised.

"Thank you Sensei!" Sharp bowed.

"And the rest of you would do well to take after Sharp's example. The life of a martial artist is not a once a week hobby, it is a consistent pursuit of self-improvement and enlightenment. Practice hard and daily and you will see results. Today's class has ended." All of the students bowed to the sensei before leaving.

The two boys who had been cheering Sharp on caught up to him. The blue haired one excitedly spat off, "Did you hear that Sharp! Yondan! And aren't you already the youngest sandan in the city?"

Sharp shrugged, "I was tied with Videl for that title, but now that her training involves actual crime fighting I wouldn't be surprised if her rank is closer to the equivalent of a kyuudan."

A muscular dark haired boy grinned in thought, "Dude, you just took on three trained adults at once, so why don't you take on some crime also?"

"I don't know Romeo," Sharp sounded interested but unsure, "I mean, I can hold my own against anyone in a fair fight sure, but bad guys don't exactly fight fair."

The blue haired boy thought about it, "…I guess that would be dangerous."

"Way to be a downer Simon!" Romeo was feeling pumped thinking about it.

The three boys left the dojo and started walking down the street.

"If something happened like right in front of me…" Sharp spoke out loud, "I'd have no reason not to do something about it."

Romeo grinned, "Yeah, if something happened right now, right here, we'd all do something about it, right?!"

Sharp grinned, "Definitely!"

Simon looked nervous but smiled anyway, "Yeah, I'd definitely help!"

The sound of a shrill scream nearby punctuated the moment and startled all three boys as they looked down the road.

Sharp gulped, but decided he had been serious on what he had just said and ran off to take a look. Romeo looked a little shocked for a moment but quickly shook it off and grinned at Simon, "No wussing out now, come on!"

The three boys turned the corner and slid to a stop. Ahead in the middle of a patio restaurant was what appeared to be a nine foot tall dinosaur sniffing at the frantic patrons.

Sharp didn't waste any more time before jumping over the divider line for the restaurant and helping people to their feet.

A woman near the towering pterodactyl was sprawled on the floor, quivering at the sight of the giant. Sharp pulled her away hoping to snap her back to her senses as well, "It just landed on top of us, out of nowhere!"

Romeo and Simon followed Sharp's lead and started ushering people away from the animal. So far the large flying dinosaur had only looked from side to side and sniffed at everything. It made no move to chase anyone.

"Everyone just back away, don't provoke it…" Sharp shouted in as calm a tone as he could muster.

The people fleeing onto the streets drew the attention of local law enforcement and a police car soon swerved onto the street in front of the restaurant, tires squealing. The car got the pterodactyl's attention and the police officers jumped out of the car with their weapons drawn. One of the officers grabbed his radio, "Code 8, we're going to need backup on Brach's Avenue south of Spangler street!" Their faces showed obvious signs of panic as the kept aim on the creature.

"Wait! It hasn't hurt anyone, just calm down a sec!" Sharp tried to reason with the police.

The pterodactyl eyed the police carefully, mostly likely annoyed by the noise the vehicle had made on approach.

The officers waved their guns at the dinosaur as if trying to shoo it away, "Back, back!"

Romeo ran over the squad car, "You guys are going to piss it off, just leave it alone for a sec and…"

Fascinated by the officer's antics, the pterodactyl started moving closer to them. It looked between the two officers then lurched back and let out a high pitched caw.

The second officer screamed as he pulled the trigger of his weapon, grazing the giant pterodactyl's wing.

"Uhoh…" Sharp watched as the pterodactyl howled louder then ran at the cop car at full speed. The pterodactyl leaned forward to peck at the officer who shot at it but Romeo managed to push the cop out of the way.

The dinosaur's momentum carried it forward and it flapped its wings taking lift and managed to snag Romeo in its talon as it took the sky, "Heeeyy!"

"Get back here!" Sharp ran up the front of the squad car and jumped at the pterodactyl barely catching its tail as it took the sky. Within moments they were at the building line and soaring higher, "This wasn't exactly a smart idea…"

Sharp pulled himself up the dinosaur's back, "Romeo?! Are you alright?"

Romeo didn't really stop screaming as he shouted, "NO! I'M GONNA FALL, THEN I'M GONNA DIE!"

"Just hold on!" Sharp continued climbing up the pterodactyl's back.

"TO WHAT?!" Romeo tried not to fidget but his instincts demanded he find something to grab onto and take some control of the situation.

The cars in the city below looked like ants busying around a mound of dirt from as high as they were. The high velocity made it hard to breathe, and the altitude was making it cold.

Sharp wrapped his arms around the pterodactyl's neck, "Come on boy, take us back down!"

The dinosaur let out another high pitched shriek after being grabbed and then rolled through the sky onto its back. Sharp held on only with his hands as the rest of his body dangled after losing his platform, "I really wish I could fly right about now!"

The pterodactyl rolled over again, and Sharp found himself sliding over to the dinosaur's underside, "I can't hold on!"

"NO DON'T FALL!" Romeo shouted, still in a panic.

Sharp noticed the pterodactyl was making some interesting contraction moves as if curling up and then flexing rapidly. He was wondering what it was doing until Romeo was thrown into him, knocking them both off.

"AHHHHH!" The boy's screamed as they fell through the open sky.

An airplane was approaching its landing at the Satan City airport when a little girl looked out the window and saw two panicked stricken young boys fall past it just about ten meters off.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Romeo shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Sharp shouted back.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Romeo shouted again.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Sharp grit his teeth as they approached the sky scrapers.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? OOOF!" Romeo and Sharp found themselves on the back of another scaly creature.

"It looks like a dragon…" Sharp answered a little more calmly.

"Nice catch Icarus!" The Dragon flew in beside Icarus and the boys.

"OH wow, it's The Dragon!" Romeo called out looking very impressed, "I didn't know he actually had a dragon."

"What were you guys doing up there?" The Dragon asked the two.

Sharp pointed up, "That pterodactyl took us for a ride."

"Oh there's Chacha!" The Dragon looked around at the surroundings, "Icarus, can you take them down to that building and I'll be right there!"

Icarus chortled approvingly and flew down to the skyscraper. Once Icarus landed, Romeo immediately jumped off and nearly collapsed on the roof.

"Are you okay dude?" Sharp asked sounding concerned as he climbed down. He noticed Romeo wasn't looking well.

Romeo shook his head, "I think I lost my lunch up there…"

"Oh…" Sharp tilted his head noticing that Romeo did look a little messy.

The Dragon flew back down holding the pterodactyl by some apparent scruff behind its neck, "Are you two alright?"

Sharp nodded, "We're cool, I think it was a bit of a wild ride for Romeo though.

"Shut up!" Romeo still looked a little blue in the face, "You know I just get motion sickness…"

The Dragon looked Romeo over, "Yeah, you'll be alright, so thanks for pointing this one out. By chance have you seen any more of these guys? I'm still missing four of them."

"How do you lose a bunch of dinosaurs?" Sharp asked incredulously.

The Dragon rubbed the back of his helmet, "I just happened to notice today that their nest was empty, it's really odd for all of them to be away so I thought I better look for them. Figures they'd be here in town."

"They can't be too hard to find if they're that big," Sharp pointed out, "just follow the screams, people around here tend to freak out when they see something like that."

"True, but this city is so big, there are a lot of places they can hide," The Dragon said as he looked over the side of the building.

Sharp thought for a moment, "Well… until I grabbed onto its tail and got dragged friggin high into the sky, I think we had the situation under control. We could help you look in the area?"

The Dragon grinned, "That would be awesome actually! I'll head out to another area and if you happen to find another pterodactyl roaming around just call it in to your sister."

Sharp's eyes widened, "You know my sister?!"

The Dragon sighed, "Umm… Well you see, I saw the two of you at the Timber's residence last week when it was robbed, then your sister found one of these pterodactyls earlier today. So she has the radio frequency I'm monitoring to call out dinosaur sightings to."

Sharp nodded seeming to accept the explanation, "Oh alright…"

The Dragon patted Icarus gently, "Go ahead and climb back onto Icarus and he'll take you down to the ground. I'll make sure Chacha makes it out of the city safely."

"I don't wanna fly again…" Romeo's cheeks bulged as he thought about it.

The Dragon laughed a bit, "Don't worry, this time will be a lot gentler, right Icarus?" The purple winged dragon gave out a chortled mewl of approval. "Catch you guys some other time!" The Dragon threw a peace sign then grabbed the pterodactyl again from behind its neck and flew off.

"Heh… catch…" Sharp shook head head as he helped Romeo climb onto Icarus's back and the winged dragon flapped twice before leaping from the roof of the building. Romeo held on tight and squeezed his eyes shut until Icarus flapped his wings hard again to halt their descent and then softly landed.

"Wow, that was cool! Thanks Icarus!" Sharp petted Icarus in the same manner he saw The Dragon earlier over his maw. Icarus made another mewl sound then flapped his mighty wings which blew an unexpectedly strong gust of wind across the street. Icarus then took off at speed presumably to chase after The Dragon and pterodactyl.

Sharp watched Icarus fly away, "I wish I had my own Dragon."

"Not me…" Romeo sat down on the sidewalk to collect himself.

"Yeah well…" Sharp lost sight of Icarus as he flew around the buildings, "Riding a flying dragon like that has got to be the next best thing to being able to fly yourself."

"You keep dreaming about stuff like that," Romeo finally started looking better, "the rest of us mortals will keep to the ground thank you very much."

Sharp held a hand down to Romeo, "Come on, we need to go let Simon know we're not dead."

"Oh yeah!" Romeo took the hand and hauled himself up. The two then went running down the street to where they left their friend.

As the two ran by a small hospital they didn't realize they had been recognized from across the street. Videl crossed the road approaching the medical plaza and was tempted to call out to her friends, but decided against it as she had some important business to attend to.

The automatic door slid open as Videl approached and she walked over to the information desk. The woman behind the desk looked up at the young girl, "Good afternoon, can I help you?"

"I need to speak with whoever is in charge of making medical purchases," Videl stated very seriously.

The woman looked Videl over, "Aren't you a little young to be making sales calls?"

Videl shook her head, "I'm not here to sell anything, I'm following up on a lead to a criminal investigation and I would appreciate your cooperation."

After a few moments of disbelief the woman's eyes widened, "You… wouldn't be that daughter of Mr. Satan would you?"

"I am Videl Satan," other people walking by all stopped and stared for a moment wondering what was going on.

The woman gulped before pressing a button on her desk, "I'll buzz you through."

"Thank you," Videl grinned confidently and walked through the doors to the admin area.

Like any hospital there were quite a few corridors, but Videl found the office of the person she was looking for and didn't bother knocking before throwing the door open, "Are you the one responsible for purchasing medical equipment for this hospital?"

The startled man wheeled around in his chair, "I am, you must be Miss Satan?"

Videl nodded and held out a receipt, "I need information on this purchase."

The man carefully reached over and took a look at the printout, "This wasn't paid for using one of our hospital accounts. And manufacturing equipment? These receipts are for machines that make circuit boards, energy conduits, and synthetic limbs? "

"True, the purchase wasn't made using a hospital credit account," Videl pointed to another line on the receipt, "But the items were delivered here."

"I see…" The man scrutinized the paper further, "Hmmm, I think I recognize this signature, I think that belongs to a Dr. Oreo. He's the assistant to a senior doctor here, Dr. Purrin."

"Dr. Oreo and Dr. Purrin huh?" Videl took the receipt back, "Where can I find these two?"

"Dr. Purrin's lab is on the fourth floor." The man looked down nervously for a moment but finally asked, "Is something going on with him?"

Videl eyed the man cautiously, "The serial numbers on some of the cash that was used to purchase this equipment was a match for some of the money that was stolen last week from the Timber's charity ball."

"Oh… dear…" The man stayed quiet as Videl left to take an elevator up. Immediately Videl began to regret not taking the stairs, the elevator moved slowly, and the music was an annoying jingle that made her think of a singing robot cat for some reason.

Once on the fourth floor it was only another hallway down to Dr. Purrin's lab. She pushed on the door and didn't know why it surprised her to find it locked. She knocked on the door four times until she heard footsteps approaching.

The door didn't open, but a voice from the other side shouted, "What do you want?"

"I need to speak with Dr. Oreo and Dr. Purrin," Videl announced.

There was silence on the other side of the door for a few seconds, "Why?"

Videl sighed and slapped her forehead, "So I can give them girl scout cookies?"

"Oh okay, come on in then!" The door opened and a short man with frazzled hair, one large eye, and a hunched over stance stood on the other side, "Hey, you don't have cookies."

"Yeah, I didn't think that would actually make you open the door," Videl pushed her way inside and took a look at the lab.

The strange looking man quickly waddled into Videl's path, "Wait! You can't just barge in here!"

Videl crossed her arms, "Then let me speak with Dr. Oreo or Dr. Purrin and I'll be on my way."

"Ah, but you see, that is simple!" The little man held out his arms in a wide expression, "I am Dr. Oreo! So now you've spoken with me, please leave."

"Not so fast," Videl didn't budge as the man tried to usher her back out the door, "I have some serious questions I need to ask you regarding a recent crime."

Dr. Oreo shook his head, "If you want to report a crime the police station is down the street, we're doctors not myth busters."

"I'm doing the investigating here so consider the police notified!" Videl was starting to lose her temper.

The doctor scratched his head, "And just who are you?"

"Videl Satan," she stated proudly.

"Who?"

Videl's eye twitched a bit, "Videl Satan, daughter of Mr. Hercule Satan."

"Who?"

Videl's posture sank a bit, "Hercule Satan? The man who saved the world from Cell?"

"From a what? That doesn't sound impressive at all… you might as well say he survived the flu."

Videl started turning red, "Have you been living under a rock for the last three years?!"

"Of course I haven't!" the doctor exclaimed looking insulted, "Though I must say even a rock would be more than enough to kill a cell."

With her fist shaking Videl tried to calm herself down before she decked the man, "Okay… let's start this over shall we… I HAVE QUESTIONS, YOU HAVE ANSWERS, THERE WILL BE AN EXCHANGE OR I SWEAR THAT BIG EYE OF YOURS WILL BE SWOLLEN SHUT FOR A MONTH!"

"How rude!" Dr. Oreo huffed, "First you lie about cookies, and then you make fun of my appearance? Doctors are people too you know, we have feelings!"

With another deep sigh Videl walked up to the man, "Okay, I'm sorry, look!" She pulled out the receipt she had shown the previous person, "This order was placed for the equipment I'm assuming is some of these machines here in this lab right now. I need to know where the money that was used to buy it came from," Videl held out a hand and tried explaining it again slower, "Like the actual dollar bills… Where… did you… get… the bills… that were used… to buy… those machines?"

"Where did we get the bills that were used to buy something?" Dr. Oreo laughed, "Do you remember where you got the five that's in your pocket right now?"

Videl felt in her pocket, "How did you know I had a five in my pocket?"

"You do?!" Dr. Oreo looked excited.

"Never mind," Videl rubbed the temples of her head, "Just, please, do you remember anything about where the cash came from?"

"Let me think…" Dr. Oreo walked across the lab, "I remember placing this order, I had already paid rent, so I probably didn't get the money from the bank. I did stop to get a coffee that morning and got a twenty zeni cash back with my purchase, but that couldn't have done it… Think… Think…"

Videl was almost ready to just give up on the entire thing. She watched as Dr. Oreo paced in front of a window, the light shining in through the window appeared to be getting dimmer, "Oh I know!" The room was noticeably darkening from the lack of light shining through the glass, "I can't believe I had such a hard time remembering!" Videl looked up and noticed something was approaching the window, "It was given to me!" Something big was approaching the window fast, "In order to buy the parts we needed it was given to me by Dr. Pu…" Dr. Oreo was cut off by the window shattering behind him.

Videl dashed forward and shoved Dr. Oreo out of the way as the enormous head of a pterodactyl, large enough to swallow Dr. Oreo whole, crashed through the lab window and started cawing in a monstrously loud tone.

Videl opened her eyes and it looked as though several more pterodactyls were all circling in the sky above the hospital.

Outside the hospital Sharp, Romeo, and Simon stared at the gigantic dinosaur birds circling overhead.

Romeo pointed at the lot of them, "How big was the one that carried us off?"

Simon gulped, "Less than half the size of just that one there."

Sharp nodded, "Yeah… I think we need The Dragon to come back!" He called up Erasa on his phone, "Pterodacyls! At Hospital! Call Dragon! HURRY!" he hung up before she could ask any questions.

Haruhi noticed the odd look on Erasa's face, "Your brother?"

"Yup…" Erasa activated her radio broadcast app.

Haruhi saw the Erasa punching in 297.3, "He found some pterodactyls?"

"Sounds like it," Erasa confirmed.

"I wonder how he knew Erasa could radio for The Dragon…" Haruhi wondered out loud.

"Long day…" Tabatha murmured without looking up from her engineering manual.

At the hospital Dr. Oreo scrambled to his feet and ran across the lab, "Ohhhh! This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!"

Videl stood in front of the pterodactyl as it started to crawl its way through the large window, tearing out chunks of wall as it moved.

Dr. Oreo paced in front one of their machines, "Ohhh… What would Dr. Purrin do… It's not ready, but we have no choice, but it's not ready, BUT WE HAVE NO CHOICE!" He pressed a button on the side of a strange capsule, "Android A, activate!"

"What?" Videl turned around as the capsule hissed open lights turned on surrounding a large bulky body with scaly skin, "An…droid?"

The pterodactyl continued cawing and roaring as it clawed its way deeper into the lab. The strange mechanical person Dr. Oreo was standing next to began to twitch. After several moments, the eyes opened.

"Yes! It works!" Dr. Oreo shouted victoriously, "Now Android A, do something about… whatever that monstrous thing is!"

The android pulled itself up from its capsule and then began to walk across the lab. In several long strides it was standing in front of Videl, "That one too, but the other monstrous thing first!"

The android turned to look at the pterodactyl and walked towards it. The dinosaur wasn't paying it much heed when it put its hands with talons in place of fingers against the pterodactyl's face, and with a great heave managed to shove the pterodactyl completely out of the building.

All the pterodactyls flying over the hospital began to look frantic as they gained speed in their circles around the building.

"Yes, they're all here!" The Dragon approached from the east and looked relieved to see all of the remaining dinosaurs he had been searching for. As The Dragon approached though none of the pterodactyl's showed any sign of noticing him, "The heck, Shiloh! Marley! Lassie! What's going on?!"

Videl watched through the hole in the wall as The Dragon neared the pterodactyls. She was about to call out to him when she was suddenly lifted off the ground by the back of her shirt. With an angry expression on her face she swung around and kicked at the android holding her up. The kick made little more than a clank sound and left no other sign of impact.

The Android turned to Dr. Oreo as if awaiting a command, "Ehhhh…" Dr. Oreo hummed, "Yeah, just get rid of her."

Videl had no time to react as the android turned to the window and simply tossed her out of it. Videl screamed as she fell from over sixty feet in the air.

The Dragon heard the scream and immediately his ki flared brightly as he flew in that direction. Videl was caught in The Dragon's arms just a meter above the street. She was placed gently on her feet, "Are you alright?"

Videl nodded profusely, though her pulse was still high from the anxiety rush, "I'm fine, I was just caught off guard when that behemoth up there tossed me out the building."

The Dragon grit his teeth, "He just threw you from that window?"

"Yeah," Videl made sure to spot where the pterodactyls were as well, "Right after he even threw that dinosaur out."

The Dragon nodded, "I better have a bit of a talk with him then…"

The Dragon slowly floated up to the fourth floor of the hospital where the scale skinned man was still standing.

"Be careful!" Videl shouted from below, "The doctor up there called him an android or something like that!"

The Dragon immediately turned to look at Videl, "Did you say an android?!"

Android A took a leap from the side of the building without warning. The Dragon turned around again as the Android's elbow connected with his head and drove him into the ground.

Sharp and his friends nearly lost their balance as the street quaked and cracked from where The Dragon was driven into it.

Android A pulled The Dragon back up from the crater they had just made, holding the boy by his throat while he began to punch him repeatedly in the face. The Dragon's eyes snapped open and with his hands against the android's torso he blasted the mechanoid man back.

"Definitely reminds me of an android," The Dragon rubbed the back of his glove against his lip, "It's like he doesn't exist to my senses… I can't tell how strong he is…"

The android flinched as it began to stand. The Dragon yelled as he powered up, a powerful aura built up around him taking the shape of a dragon before he flew forward with his fist outstretched. When his punch made contact with the android he tore through it much easier than expected and tumbled to a halt before the nuts, bolts, and android goop caught up to him from behind.

Everyone in the area watched horrified as nearly half of the android was ripped apart by the last punch. It tumbled to the ground and convulsed for a moment before several bolts of energy built up around it and at last it exploded.

The Dragon walked over to what remained of the android, but little was recognizable beyond melted slag.

"Not a strong android… but that really did seem like an android…" The Dragon kicked at the charred hunk of mass for good measure and walked back to Videl.

"Are you okay?" Genuine concern apparent on Videl's face.

"Don't worry about me," The Dragon resumed a confident posture, "It'll take a lot more than a robot to get to me!"

"Good," Videl smiled as Sharp, Erasa, and their friends ran up.

"That was amazing!" "Way to go Dragon!" "You showed that rust bucket who's boss!" cried out from the small crowd.

The Dragon noticed the pterodactyls were still circling overhead, "I'll be right back."

The Dragon floated into the lab on the side of the hospital. The lab looked dark and empty. A grunting and scratching noise coming from the far end of the lab got his attention. A smaller pterodactyl was at the back scratching at a cabinet, "Hey there Benji, what do you want so bad from in there?"

Benji the pterodactyl only whined as The Dragon opened the cabinet. His eyes widened as he reached in and pulled out several pterodactyl eggs, "Have you guys been searching all over the city for these?"

Benji whined again as he rubbed his face against an egg. The Dragon checked again inside the cabinet and found another egg, this one with a syringe sticking through the shell, "What was going on here?"

The Dragon gulped as he removed the syringe from the egg, the hole miniscule enough that it almost completely sealed on its own. With the eggs under his arms, The Dragon whistled to Benji, "Come on, let's get out of here!"

Videl and the others watched as The Dragon flew out from the hospital with the pterodactyl eggs and immediately the dinosaurs in the sky settled and began to calmly follow the young hero.

"Thanks for your help you guys," The Dragon bowed courteously to the others and even the dinosaurs seemed to try and mimic him.

"It makes so much sense now knowing that they were after their eggs, they're one big family!" Erasa cooed seeing the large eggs The Dragon was holding.

"Just glad we could help!" Sharp stated enthusiastically.

The only one with a serious look, Videl asked, "Was there anyone still in the lab?" She sighed as The Dragon shook his head, "The doctors in that lab were my lead to follow the money that was stolen last week."

"By the Crane Mercs?!" The Dragon as well as the others took a step back in shock.

Videl nodded, "Those doctors used the money to buy a lot of strange equipment. Maybe it had something to do with this android thing…"

The Dragon bit his lip, "We'll have to be careful." The cawing noise behind him reminded him he wasn't done yet, "Thanks for everything today, your help made this go faster, now I have to get these guys home." He floated a few feet off the ground and waved as best he could while still holding four big eggs.

"When will we see you again?" Erasa shouted.

"Sooner than you think!" The Dragon called back before flying away, Icarus and the pterodactyl's right behind him.

"How can he say that like it's a fact?" Videl asked herself.

The group hung out for a little while longer all reminiscing together about their various encounters with the dinosaurs and The Dragon. Many stories became quite a bit more exaggerated than what had actually happened, but everyone felt a like they had accomplished something important.

Evening rolled around at the Satan house. A glow through the living room window indicated something on TV.

"Ha! You know that one there where he grows really big? Well that's not even him, that's an advanced holographic projector making it look like he's grown fifty feet tall while the real guy stands behind that curtain over there in front of a camera!" Mr. Hercule Satan explained as he watched some old martial arts footage.

"Wow it didn't take you long to spot that one at all, huh Mr. Satan?" The audience Mr. Satan was explaining this to just so happened to be two pretty young women in their mid-twenties.

The second girl looked more interested in the fight, "If that's a hologram, then how is he leaving those giant footprints?"

"Oh, well, that's the easy part!" Hercule scrambled to come up with an excuse off the top of his head, "They had to be dug out long beforehand and then weak supports would hold up a fake floor. This way when the hologram stepped over the right spot they'd use a small explosive to destroy the support and collapse the ground in to look like a footprint!"

"That's amazing!" the ditsier girl cheered.

"That's still a lot of dedication to the art that someone would have to have to set the whole thing up in advance," the second girl watched the fight a little more closely.

"In my book, a cheater is a cheater is a cheater!" Hercule boasted before laughing loudly.

The door chime went off indicating someone entered the house, "Are you in there dad?" Videl called as she opened the door to the den, "Oh, hi Shiemi, hi Misuzu."

The blond girl, Shiemi, bowed, "Hi Videl, we were just taking a break while your dad was watching these videos, I better get back to work!" She pulled out a feather duster and went back to cleaning the room.

Videl looked over her dad's shoulder at the TV, "What are you watching?"

"Oh this?" Hercule paused the video, "This is the footage from the World Martial Arts Tournament that happened right before you were born, the story is that huge green guy was the reincarnation of the Evil King Piccolo. We know it was about twenty years ago that King Piccolo overthrew King Furry for a short time and really screwed some things up releasing dangerous criminals and threatened to destroy every city on the planet. Supposedly he even almost brought the world to extinction a few hundred years ago. This guppy though showed up and claimed to be either the reincarnation of Piccolo or the son of Piccolo or something like that. Some people said he would have destroyed the world had he won the twenty third World Martial Arts Tournament." Mr. Satan started laughing, "Good thing that's all just a bunch of hogwash nonsense!"

"So he didn't win the tournament?" Videl asked curiously.

"Nope," Mr. Satan pressed play on the video, "The winner was this scrawny punk, some seventeen year old trickster named Son Goku."

"Son?" Videl stared at the image of a young Goku on the screen for a minute, "That's… He looks a lot like…" Videl's eyes widened, "It couldn't be…"

Mr. Satan turned to see his daughter hurriedly leaving the room, "Everything alright pumpkin?"

"It's fine!" Videl hurried up to her room and shut the door. After powering on her computer she pulled out her phone and hit contacts, "Hey Erasa it's me. Yeah, fine, listen. I need your help with something. I need you to help me look up anything you can find on Son Goku…"

* * *

**End Chapter**

Are things being pieced together behind our hero's back? How much will Gohan's friends be able to decipher? Tune in next week for another chapter of Legend - School Daze!

Thanks again for reading through this chapter. I had the desire to focus a little more on Gohan's friends and give them some spotlight time and show how exceptional they all can be when not overshadowed by one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Hopefully the subplot and minor characters proved to be entertaining.

Please let me know what you thought and come back soon for the next chapter!


	8. By Invitation Only

Last time on Legend: School DAZE

Erasa was working on her robot bird, giving it the ability to detect wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum when she encountered a dinosaur! She and her friends were chased through the school when they were saved not just by a dragon but The Dragon as well. Sharp found himself in trouble when he clung onto a pterodactyl's tail and ended up being dragged high into the sky. He may have plummeted to his death except he was saved by a dragon who was in the company of The Dragon. Videl was then following up on a lead from the Timber's incident when she met a strange doctor who was apprehensive to answer her questions. Before she could decipher any major clues, the largest dinosaur yet attacked the lab. The doctor then activated a mysterious Android "A" who pushed back the dinosaur and tossed Videl out the window. Videl was saved by The Dragon who proceeded to destroy the weak android with ease. Without being aware of the situation though, Dr. Oreo made his escape but was forced to leave behind the dinosaur eggs which was the cause of the dinosaur's scouring through the city in the first place. Strange happenings are going on in the background, and Videl may have inadvertently made a discovery about Gohan's background thanks to her father. What will she do with this information? Find out today on Dragon Ball Legend!

Once again you guys, thank you so much for all the feedback you've left my story! It's so awesome to hear from each of you every time.

Lightningblade49 – Without Dr. Gero it seems unlikely that androids could be made to the same quality. At least right away… who knows what the future of android technology holds?

Ern Estine 13624 – So glad you're still enjoying it! Thanks!

StammRoar – I try to put some twists on the story. It's really hard to strike the right balance of originality and familiarity. I'll be doing my best though and I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Pir84lyf – Satan City… go figure… they play by their own rules.

Sharkdude5 – Thanks!

Fayoken – Sorry for the long wait last time. Hopefully I can keep that from happening for a while.

Anonymous – Puzzle pieces are slowly taking shape. Thanks!

Guest – So sorry! It was horrible having no Internet!

Ethan Demas – I'm actually hoping their roles will only get bigger instead of smaller. We'll see if that's possible to pull off. Thanks!

Heseltine – Icarus so should have come around sooner! I've got a great picture someone made of Icarus on my Tumblr that was the inspiration for his inclusion.

Unpredictable cupcake – Goku has been recognized! Is this good or bad? Maybe a little of both… Hopefully we'll find out soon.

AmericanWriterMan – Thank you so much!

Penelope – I ended up giving Dr. Oreo a bit more personality than I was originally intending. He just became a weirdo so I went with it and had a lot of fun. I'm glad you liked it!

Maximusrexmundi – It was fun putting the spotlight on the other characters. It sort of took that extra wide lens off of the Dragon Ball story for a bit.

Wheathermangohanssj4 – It may seem like filler, but so many major archs were hinted at in it. And stop giving away my story before I write it, LOL! Shhhh, we're getting there, ha!

Titanium Gold – Thanks a lot, that's really cool of you to say. I've really tried to conform to the themes of Dragonball without relying overly heavy on exactly how things are "supposed" to go. Hopefully things will stay interesting as we go.

LostD – Thanks! I know, I've seen plenty where Gohan just becomes so dark and sullen and mean. I mean he's still Goku's kid, not Vegeta's right? Hopefully we keeps a streak of curiosity and adventure in him.

Dyton – I think you're right. Maybe it was because it was a weekend and so he was kind of "off duty" Being that he wasn't fighting crime might make him less authoritative. Dinosaurs always bring a bit of excitement with them no matter what though, don't they? Thanks!

Shugokage – Thanks a lot!

UltimateGohan42 – Thanks! Hopefully I can keep it entertaining.

Mathemagician93 – WHOA! Review #100! Thank you so much. So in my last story, ZAT, I offered every hundredth reviewer a free Dragon Ball Z oneshot story. So I'm going to try and keep that tradition going. Mathemagician93, you are the receiver of the first oneshot for this story, and I'll be talking with you to get the details sorted as to what you'd like to see in it. Thanks a lot for the review, and all the detailed feedback you messaged me with!

Noip13 – Wow thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and will do my best to continue with this one and keep it entertaining.

And thanks to everyone who has made it this far, I'm glad to see people reading my work and maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to hear more about suggestions and what you think so far.

And now, on to the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 8: By Invitation Only**

* * *

Everyone seems to be tired on Monday mornings. The world drags on for students and professionals alike. Even crime was down as criminals were probably smart enough to sleep for a while longer. With it being so early and nothing interesting being mentioned on the police scanner Gohan decided to divert his course to the lookout.

"Hey Gohan," Korin waved as Gohan flew up the tower.

"Good morning Master Korin!" Gohan shouted back as he continued his assent.

Gohan flew over the rim of the lookout and landed near the edge. Dende immediately ran over to him, "Gohan! It's good to see you!"

"You too Dende!" Gohan grinned as the miniature god of earth hugged him.

Piccolo emerged from the temple behind Dende and though less emotional, grinned upon seeing his favorite student, "I see you've been busy kid."

Gohan nodded, "A little, now that I'm in school my studies haven't been so hard to keep up with, but there's always some kind of trouble going on in that city. It's like if I turn my head for a moment everything starts going crazy."

Dende nodded, "Now imagine that with the whole planet!"

Gohan laughed, "Yeah, I shouldn't complain. I've been trying to take after you and prioritize what I deal with now so I'm not running after every little thing that doesn't need me."

Piccolo nodded, "It's important that the people not forget how to take care of themselves when they can."

"Definitely," Gohan rubbed the back of his head in thought, he had come for a reason and felt he better get it out of the way, "Mr. Piccolo, I need to ask you something…"

Piccolo nodded, "Sure kid."

"It's about the friends I've made in school," Gohan had to think about how he was going to word his question for a moment, "I feel like… if they're really my friends then I should be able to trust them. You know, with who and what I am?"

"Hmmm…" Piccolo looked Gohan over to get an idea on how serious the boy was before giving him an answer, "My one warning to you Gohan, you're a good and kind person, others may try to take advantage of you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks Piccolo," Gohan broke eye contact for a moment before the energy in his words picked back up, "There are these three kids at my school, one of them is the daughter of that guy, Mr. Satan. We've been spending a lot of time together and I really feel like I can trust them. But part of me is also really scared, what if they freak out once they know what I am? What if they get mad at me for not telling them sooner?" Gohan looked to the ground, "I just don't know if this is the kind of thing that would make people not want to be my friend anymore."

Everyone remained quiet for a moment to give Gohan a chance to lament. Piccolo then placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, "Don't dwell so much on those details. Believe me, when Goku set out to wander the world he had no trouble making friends despite everything that makes him… unusual. There are however consequences you'll need to consider if you're going to open yourself up in this manner."

"Like what?" Gohan asked innocently as he looked back up to his mentor.

"You have more than just a few things about you that makes you special Gohan," Piccolo decided the best approach was to be blunt and lay everything down in front of the boy, "You've lived your life quietly and secluded for the most part. Should word of what you really are become public knowledge, chances are your quiet life would drastically change. That may not even be a bad thing, however you should know that there will be those out there who will see you as a hero, and others who may see you as a threat. I'm not saying that revealing who you are to your close friends will lead to a scenario where your secrets will be made public, but you have to hold true that the possibility exists, and should it happen is that a risk you're willing to take."

"I see what you mean…" Gohan looked down again.

Piccolo frowned for a moment, but then quickly a warm smile returned to him, "Keep in mind there are pros and cons to both sides, there is a lot you may regret by not telling them as well." Gohan's face had the same 'like what?' expression as he had a moment ago, so Piccolo continued to elaborate, "By not trusting your friends with who you are, you are denying both them and yourself an opportunity to see where your friendships may lead you. By not confiding certain truths in them, there is an entire destiny you may be denying yourself."

Gohan's eyes were wide as he nodded trying to comprehend Piccolo's words.

Dende recognized that Gohan was having difficulty realigning his thoughts and fears, "I have an idea Gohan!"

"What's that?" Gohan noticeably lit up hoping to get more insight from his friends.

"Your birthday is less than a week away," Dende brought up excitedly, "What if we have a party here for everyone we know, but then the next day you could throw a party at your house for all your new friends?"

"A separate party?" Gohan asked confused.

"Yeah," Dende explained further, "That way it'll give you a chance to show them just a little bit more about you. They'll get to see where you live and get to know you a little bit better and you can use that to determine how much more to open up to them."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Gohan cheered up immediately, "I guess I would have to make sure my mom is alright with that idea, but that sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks Dende!"

"Of course!" Dende beamed in the knowledge that Gohan liked his idea.

Piccolo enjoyed seeing both Gohan and Dende look so blissful. He hoped with all his being that things would go well and that this would last, "You should probably get going Gohan, you don't want to be late for your classes."

"You're right…" Gohan looked at his watch, "I want to go ask my mom about the party before I get to school now too. I'll stop by for lunch before the weekend, promise!"

"Anytime kid," Piccolo waved Gohan off as the boy jumped off the edge of the lookout.

Dende ran to the edge and called after his friend, "We'll see you soon Gohan!"

Gohan was barely visible as he dashed through the sky in his equivalent of sprinting. He arrived at his front door in just moments, "Hey mom!"

Chichi looked over from the kitchen, not used to seeing her son winded from excitement, "Is everything alright Gohan?"

Gohan nodded as he caught his breath, "I was just talking to Dende…"

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Chichi spoke in a voice that was almost chastising.

"I've still got fifteen minutes before first period begins, plenty of time!" Gohan breathed out, "But I was at the lookout, and Dende brought up that since my birthday is coming up that maybe I should invite some friends from school over and have a small party. Would that be okay?"

Chichi almost laughed but settled on a wry grin, "That would be fine Gohan, I'd actually really like the chance to meet a few of the friends you've made from school."

"There are three I'd really like to invite," Gohan mentioned.

"We'll discuss the details later baby," Chichi noticed that Gohan cringed a little after she called him baby, but she acted like she didn't notice. "Go ahead and get yourself to school and invite whoever you'd like."

"Thanks mom, I love you!" Gohan ran out the door again and blasted back off into the sky.

Chichi smiled to herself and returned to the needs of her youngest son. She couldn't help but be pleased to see that kind of excitement in Gohan's eyes. How could she possibly tell him no?

Even at a slower pace that allowed Gohan to catch his breath, he managed to land on top of the school with more than ten minutes to spare.

It was now habit for Gohan to stop by the room his friends were using for their MASK meetings before getting to class. He definitely didn't have a problem keeping up with any course work he missed by spending time with his club. Videl and Sharp were definitely the ones who struggled the most if they missed too much time.

No one was in the room today, but Gohan decided to wait around for a few minutes just in case they were running late. He stood by the theory board which had been used to try and piece together the identity of The Dragon. It had become rather moot point lately as Videl had become convinced that whoever The Dragon was he had to be just one boy around twelve or thirteen years old who was incredibly strong, well trained, and had the support of powerful and rich backers. No new information had been discovered since the Timbers incident that would allow someone to fit the description. So the MASK meetings had admittedly become more of a social gathering. Videl had been spending more time demonstrating self-defense techniques on Sharp while Gohan and Erasa took notes, and in return Gohan and Erasa would help the other two with their homework.

Gohan looked over the board carefully and smiled to himself, "Maybe it's time…"

It didn't seem like anyone was stopping by today, so Gohan headed off to class. There was only a few minutes before class started, but Sharp was the only one there and was looking bored, "Yo!"

Sharp perked up a bit seeing Gohan arrive, "Hey Gohan! You won't believe what kind of weekend I had!" It seemed as though Sharp had been dying to retell his story to someone.

"Oh yeah?" Gohan laughed, "I'm not surprised by much anymore, but go ahead and try! First off though, how come you're the only one here?"

Sharp looked around and shrugged, "I don't know, Erasa said she had some things she had to do this morning and we split after we got here, and I haven't seen Videl either. I guess they might be together but it's hard to know for sure."

Gohan frowned, "I was really hoping to talk to all of you, but that can wait."

"In that case," Sharp grinned and got excited again, "Over the weekend I helped The Dragon save the city from dinosaurs!" The bell rang and all the students stood to bow as the teacher entered the room. "Darn, I'll have to tell you later."

"Deal!" Gohan pulled out his pencil and got to work on the day's assignments.

The day went on and neither Videl nor Erasa ever made it in. Gohan and Sharp eventually headed out to P.E. class and Sharp continued to regal in the story of his weekend adventure to Gohan as they walked through the hall. Gohan listened intently and was genuinely impressed by Sharp's bravery.

"You really jumped on a pterodactyl and rode it into the sky?!" Gohan tried his best to sound surprised, "Wow, weren't you scared that you could fall off?"

Sharp shrugged, "Only a little bit, I probably could have gotten the pterodactyl to fly us where I wanted, but The Dragon showed up and was able to get things under control a lot faster so I didn't mind the help."

"Cool," Gohan closed his eyes and grinned at the taller boy, "I'm sure The Dragon appreciated your help!"

"I guess he might have," Sharp smiled back as he went to his locker.

Gohan opened his locker and pulled out his gym clothes, "You'll have to tell me the rest later!"

Another boy approached Sharp excitedly, "Is it really true you helped The Dragon fight off a bunch of dinosaurs?"

Sharp returned the excitement and started telling the story yet again.

Like normal, Gohan took his clothes over to one of the bathroom stalls to change. The tale of Sharp's day had Gohan thinking about everything that had happened. There were still a few unanswered questions about that Doctor Oreo and Doctor Purrin and their mysterious android. He also wasn't sure what the pterodactyl eggs were needed for.

Gohan was lost in his thoughts as he pulled off his school clothes and hadn't noticed the locker room had become very quiet. Before Gohan could come up with a plan, a strong pull knocked the flimsy twist lock of the stall out from its slot. Gohan wasn't sure how to react as Romeo and Simon yanked him from its privacy while wearing only his boxer briefs.

"Shy boy! Shy boy! Shy…" Most of the boys in the P.E. class had gathered around the stall as Gohan was pushed into the center, but the chants quickly died down as everyone actually noticed Gohan.

"Oh shit…" new murmurs started coming from the crowd of boys, "Did you know he was…?" "I had no idea Gohan was…" "That's a lot of muscle…"

Gohan felt slightly embarrassed but didn't make a move as he tried to determine how best to deal with the situation.

After being distracted by his own story telling, Sharp finally noticed the crowd by the stall and pushed his way through the boys and saw for himself both the predicament Gohan was in, and what everyone was whispering about. Gohan was obviously getting uncomfortable so Sharp took a few steps closer, "Dude, you've never mentioned that you work out before!"

"I tried to a few times… It just never really came up before…" Gohan watched the floor really intently.

Sharp didn't want Gohan to lock up so he looked over at Romeo, "Get the tape."

"Huh?" Romeo asked being shaken from the shock of the moment.

Sharp turned back to Gohan, "It's been two years since I've seen anyone our age who might have and arm width that competes with mine. So bring the measuring tape, I want to see who's bigger."

"Right!" Romeo quickly ran to the locker and came back with a cloth tape.

Gohan looked a little confused but Sharp gave him a sort of confident look which calmed him down some. Sharp then took a couple of deep breaths and then flexed his arm a few times, "Simon, you be the judge."

Simon nodded and wrapped the tape around Sharp's bicep. Sharp squeezed his arm as tight as he could while Simon measured, "Fourteen point four inches!"

Sharp grinned confidently, "Pure muscle baby." Some of the boys cheered while others started slinking back mostly out of jealousy, "Come on Gohan, show'em what you got."

Gohan nodded. He focused on powering down as much as he could and hoped that would help keep his muscles from bulging some. It was difficult trying to relax while looking like he was psyching out in a manner similar to what Sharp had done.

Gohan flexed his arm as Simon wrapped the tape around it, "It's..." Simon's eyes widened as he adjusted the tape, "No wait, it's fourteen… point one!"

Sharp was definitely shocked but quickly patted Gohan on the back, "Man that's close! I'm still number one though!"

All of the boys cheered for Sharp and then hurried out to the field before the coach came looking for them. Gohan didn't bother returning to the stall as he finished changing.

Sharp sat on the bench next to Gohan once the others had left, "Seriously Gohan, you always wear clothes that have never hinted that you were that buff! And then you always change in the stall. I figured you were shy, but what gives? You should be flaunting what you got man!"

Gohan shrugged, "I guess I just sort of knew people would make a big deal out of it and was hoping to avoid it."

Sharp nodded, "Sorry it came out this way then."

With a sort of half smile Gohan retorted, "It's okay I guess. I mean it had to happen eventually, and I guess that's one less thing that I have to worry about."

"Only one huh? You saying you're a man of secrets or something?" Sharp teased.

"Maybe," Gohan grinned back as he slid his shirt on.

"We definitely need to get you at least a set of gym clothes that fits you better," Sharp pulled his shirt on as well, "Do that and you'll never have to worry about bullies again." Gohan gave Sharp a sideways glance so Sharp elaborated, "I may know a little from experience, but come on!"

Gohan took a deep breath and tried to cheer back up, "Thanks Sharp."

After the general exercises, all the students were on the track running the mile. Sharp and Gohan were finally getting back into the swing of their conversation like nothing had happened when they noticed Erasa standing by the bleachers waving at them. They stopped and running and saw Videl talking to the coach.

"I guess I don't have to worry about you guys getting out of shape, it's alright if you leave early," The coach made some notes on his clipboard.

"Thanks coach," Videl bowed and then waved her friends over, "We need to talk." Videl sounded serious as she turned and marched toward the school.

Gohan and Sharp looked at each other and shrugged. Sharp looked to his sister for answers, "Is everything alright?"

Erasa grinned while biting her lip and looked from Sharp to Gohan, "I should probably let Videl do the talking."

"Wow… I wonder what's up," Gohan gulped feeling like he was in the dark about something.

Videl led them all to their MASK room and quickly shut the door, "Gohan," Videl spun on her heel and locked eyes with Gohan. She wanted to be absolutely sure to get the truth from him, "I've got a few questions I need you to answer for me."

Sharp grinned, "Ohhh… I know what this is about, wow word travels fast doesn't it Gohan?"

Both Erasa and Videl gave Sharp funny looks, "What are you talking about?"

"You know?" Sharp shrugged, "The way everyone found out today that Gohan works out and is actually ripped?"

"No way!" Erasa's eyes widened as she looked Gohan up and down trying to get a hint if Sharp's words were fact through Gohan's clothes.

Videl didn't seem to be sure whether to believe it or not, "Gohan, shirt."

"Huh?" Gohan looked confused while Sharp actually blushed at Videl's blunt command.

"You're going to have to change out of your P.E. clothes anyway," Videl reasoned, "So shirt, off." Videl pointed up to make sure her demand was clear."

"Oh… okay I guess," Gohan reached for the bottom hem of his shirt and then pulled it up and over his head.

"Oh wow…" Both girls blushed as they stared at Gohan's physique for a moment.

Erasa knew she shouldn't stare but was having a hard time helping it, "You weren't kidding."

Sharp was feeling a little jealous of the attention, "You know, we measured up in the locker room I've still got more muscle than he does."

"Yeah but you're my brother," Erasa waved him off, "This is different."

Though she didn't want to outright say it, Videl was impressed, "Why didn't you ever tell us you worked out or trained before?"

"I tried to actually," Gohan sighed, "Back at the Timbers party I tried to mention that I could help you and Sharp but stuff kept interrupting me."

The abrasive edge had definitely worn off on Videl as her look softened, "Yeah, I think I kind of remember you were trying to say something that we didn't let you finish that night.

Gohan's eyes widened as he looked down and whispered, "Umm… actually…"

"But this makes sense with what I have to ask you today," Videl continued. All eyes turned to Videl as she stepped closer to Gohan, "Son Gohan, I didn't recognize the name before but I do now. Be honest with me, are you related to Son Goku, the man who held the title of world martial arts champion before my father?"

This time Sharp's mouth dropped as he turned to Gohan.

Gohan was almost shaking as he clenched his fist and stared at the floor. His hair left his eyes almost shadowed as he searched for his voice, "Y…Yes… He… he's my dad."

Everyone immediately noticed something was very wrong, "Gohan…?" Videl started again, "What happened? And why didn't your dad compete in the world martial arts tournament when it started up again last year?"

Gohan's teeth clenched and wiped his eye with the back of his hand, "It was almost two years ago… my dad… he… he…"

Gohan didn't have to finish for his friends to understand. Videl suddenly felt horrible for pushing the question on Gohan and quickly embraced him. Erasa ran forward and tackled them in her own hug as well while Sharp leaned in close and rubbed Gohan's back consolingly

Though Gohan had been doing well to keep his emotions in check, once he saw the sympathetic looks on his friends faces he couldn't hold it in any longer. It was then that Gohan realized he'd been doing everything he could to be strong for everyone else. He couldn't talk about how he felt with his mom because he knew she was hurting too. And his friends who all knew and loved his father, he didn't want to burden them with his emotional trouble. He had barely been aware that he had so much bottled up until it started to overflow, "he died… and… i… it's… my fault."

"Gohan no!" Erasa cried out as both she and Videl squeezed tighter, "Of course it's not your fault!"

"B…but…" Gohan still had his eyes buried in his arm, "I sh…should have s…saved him!"

Erasa pulled Gohan's arm away from his face so she could look into his eyes, "I'm sure your dad doesn't want you to think like that."

"I… know he doesn't… b…but… that doesn't make it less true…" Gohan sobbed quietly and slowly calmed down.

Videl rested her head on Gohan's shoulder. A few things were starting to make sense about her friend that she didn't understand before. Gohan had a bit of a reclusive streak that would take over him every now and then, especially when he noticed others around him enjoying quality family time. It must have been something he really missed.

"Gohan?" Videl whispered, "I'm sorry, I know I get harsh with people pretty easily. I don't mean to take out my frustration on you guys even though that happens more often than I want it too. You three mean so much to me, far more than just friends. If you need family to confide in Gohan, please don't keep it bottled up, come to us okay?"

A smile finally crossed Gohan's face again, "Thank you, that means a lot to me…"

"Of course man," Sharp patted Gohan's back, "We're definitely here for you, no matter what."

"You're one of the best guys I've ever met," Erasa beamed as she squeezed Gohan tighter, "Please come talk to me anytime you need to."

Gohan nodded as his friends finally let up off him to let him regain his composure from the emotional moment.

No one tried to rush Gohan as he let his breathing settle, "Hey you guys."

"What is it?" Erasa asked keeping her enthusiasm high.

"Well, I'm turning thirteen this week, and I'd like to invite you guys to my birthday party on Saturday, would you all be willing to come?" Gohan asked slightly nervous.

"I definitely want to go!" Erasa shouted immediately.

Videl psyched up quickly, "Of course I'll be there!"

"Yeah!" Sharp gleamed, "I won't miss it."

Gohan smiled again, "It's a bit of a commute; it's going to be at my house on Mt. Paozu."

"That is a bit of a ways," Erasa thought, "Do you really make that trip every day?"

Gohan nodded, "It's not bad once you get used to it."

"I'll get us there," Videl's voice gave the impression it wouldn't be a problem, "Just give me directions and I'll have one of my dad's drivers give us a ride on Saturday."

"Great!" Gohan hugged each of his friends again one at a time.

"So I guess this means you're the youngest of us huh?" Sharp teased Gohan as he stepped back.

Erasa shook her head, "Only by a few months."

"Still," Sharp kept up his playful banter, "I'm a little older, a little taller, I have muscles that are a little bigger, I think this means I'm winning right now."

Erasa shook her head, "I don't know about that last one, I bet if Gohan was a little taller his muscles would be bigger than yours."

"That's not how that works!" Sharp groaned and everyone laughed.

Videl picked Gohan's shirt up off one of the desks and handed it to him, "Are you gonna be okay? Anything you want to talk about now?"

"I'll be alright," Gohan said as he slid his shirt back on, "I know I have a lot I need to talk about, but it can wait just a little bit."

"Alright, whenever you're ready," Videl assured him.

Gohan nodded, "We've been here for a while, we should probably go home."

Everyone agreed it had been a long Monday and decided to head home. Erasa sat by Videl as they waited for Gohan and Sharp to change back into their street clothes, "So is he still on your list?"

"I don't know," Videl admitted. "For a while I thought the son of the old champion might have it in him to do all those incredible things, but Gohan is so gentle. I can't really see him hurting anything even if he has been trained in the martial arts."

"Yeah I know what you mean," Erasa had a bit of a silly grin on her face, "he really is one of those genuinely nice guys huh?"

Videl raised an eyebrow, "You like him a lot don't you?"

Erasa swayed her head from side to side and smiled, "I've always thought he was really cute, and today I got see that he's also… wow…"

Videl snorted a laugh, "Yeah, whatever."

Erasa poked Videl, "Don't try to hide that you like him too."

"What are you?" Videl started to ask but Erasa's grin silenced her.

"I saw the way you were holding on to him, a little tighter than just a friend perhaps?" Erasa's grin unnerved Videl a little bit, but she wasn't sure what Erasa's angle was especially after admitting that she liked him.

"Alright, we're all set!" Sharp interrupted their moment as he and Gohan emerged from the locker room.

"Let's get out of here then," Erasa half way stretched as she led the way out of the building.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow then, take care!" Gohan waved as he left in the opposite direction where Mt. Paozu could be seen in the background.

Videl watched him go. Her mind was still a bit of a jumble of thoughts, "Son Gohan, just what is up with you?"

* * *

**End Chapter**

I can't believe it took me eight chapter of a Gohan story to have Piccolo make an appearance. That's just shameful. So this chapter was a little shorter than others, but I hope the bits of drama were still entertaining. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear what you think!


	9. Coming Down the Mountain

So sorry for the long chapter delay everyone. As some of you are aware of I tend to slump pretty low into depression pretty easily, and then stay there for too long. And when I get depressed for some reason the first things I stop doing are the things I enjoy. I'm finally trying to pick myself back up though and will try and keep pushing through. This is the kind of thing that has caused my other stories to go unfinished, but I will try and keep going with this. You all have no idea what my list of scenario notes looks like for Legend, so my goal is still to keep Legend going so that I can get back to ZAT as well as other stories. So let's try and have some fun again. Thank you everyone for your awesome support and kind words.

Last time on Legend: School DAZE

Videl found her father Mr. Satan watching recordings of old World Martial Arts Tournament Footage, one of them being of the battle between Goku and Ma Jr. otherwise known as Piccolo. Gohan was left anxiously waiting through his school day while Videl and Erasa researched the infamous Son Goku. Coincidentally, Gohan's peers decided this was the day to embarrass him over always changing for PE in the bathroom stall. Things didn't go the way they expected when they discovered Gohan to have a much more defined physique than most of the class. Sharp saved him further embarrassment and the two bonded until Videl and Erasa made their confrontation about Gohan's relation to Son Goku. Gohan became emotional being confronted with the memory of his father which softened the mood of all of his friends and helped them accept Gohan's heritage history without further probing. Now Gohan has invited his friends to his birthday party on Mt. Paozu. What kind of excitement awaits them on the mountain, today on Legend: School DAZE!

And of course a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter was posted:

KiwiS92 – Gohan Torture fic? Oo maybe I shouldn't ask lol. We'll see how his friends respond, maybe they'll get going right away, maybe there will be drama… who knows… well I suppose I should… but the story tends to write itself most of the time. Thanks for the review!

Whethermangohanssj4 – Aww I thought the locker room scene was cute. I was hoping for some drama to be dragged out between Videl and the others, but if I messed up on it then I'm sorry. I'll try and do better.

Silbernacht – I'm hopeful to keep growing those bonds as the story progresses. Thanks for the review!

Enarmonios – Thanks a lot for writing out an awesome review! A major threat is definitely needed, and not too far off now. Thank you so much for giving this story a chance!

Shugokage – I'm really a fan of the interaction between characters. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

32nd Freeze – People might be catching on to some secrets…

Sharkdude5 – Thanks!

Anonymous – I'm try to give the characters better roles. Glad you're liking it!

00gohan123 – Guess who's coming to dinner…

EnixFairy – Thanks! I'm glad you did!

Maximusrexmundi – Getting pulled out of a stall and being called shy? Yeah… Though the muscle measuring in middle school is probably DBZ exclusive lol. I didn't even think of a Videl/Erasa POV… you're right though, I'll try to keep that in mind more. Thanks!

Fayoken – I'll try and have more Piccolo interaction. He's important in Gohan's life after all. And you should see my rough outline of the story. I fill in the details as I go, but the major plot points are already filled in and geesh… There are a LOT of them… Thanks!

Noip13 – I've been wanting to make this birthday party happen, but man it took a while to figure out how to get it to go down. I swear I've scrapped this chapter over 5 times. Finally I figure this is just the way it's going to be. I'm glad to be doing something a little different. Hope you continue to like it!

EmeraloftheStars – Thanks, glad you're liking it! I'll try and get it back on schedule with the updates.

Gumi-Fishy – Wow thanks a lot for the kind words! I'll do my best to keep the quality level high.

32nd Freeze – Thanks! I'm sorry I didn't keep up with the same energy after NaNoWriMo ended. I'll do my best to get back into it though.

Penelope – I'm so sorry for making you wait so long It's just been a hard few months. I'll try and stay on top of things and there might be some puppy love in the air… we'll see. Thanks for always being awesome!

xXBlazingBlueXx – Thanks for the review, sorry more took so long!

Sortofbored – Not involved with Erasa at all, request logged! I'm sure there will be at least a little romantic drama, we'll see where it goes! Thanks!

Noctis11 – A ZAT fan! Thanks for following me through to this! There are big plans for both this story and ZAT. I hope I can get both back on track before long.

Mamma jamma – Thanks a lot for reviewing!

Ashmole – Goku is a bugger, isn't he… He's got some splaining to do… eventually… it might be a while… Thanks for the review!

Artemis657 – That didn't happen… sorry… but here it is finally! Thanks for the review!

Dyton – It's awesome to see another Piccolo fan! It really is a hard decision to make for poor Gohan, continue living in seclusion but in peace, or risk it all to bring in friends who could either open his world or tear it down. I like to think Piccolo would be the one to see all the possibilities. And yeah it may get a little awkward with Gohan getting the attention of all the girls. Thanks a bunch for a great review!

Gwb620 – Great Saiyaman… /shiver. I'm glad you're enjoying The Dragon! And thanks for the review!

Yunayuu – It's been a struggle getting this chapter out, but hopefully the next ones will start coming on schedule again.

NotLogginIn – I have been to many places… alone in my room… Florida… writing was slow and I apologize. Thanks for the review and I hope to start making up for it.

CrimsonWild – A crime fighting Quadro! That sounds awesome! I may have started writing this originally right after watching Big Hero 6, so we'll see where that leads lol. Thanks for the review!

Rjfree – Has it been 5 years since ZAT? Holy crap… Totally need to get to the next part of that… Thank you for helping get back on this!

SuperSonicBros123 – Thanks for the review! Will Videl figure out Gohan's past… It's not an easy thing to piece together but it might be coming.

Windblade8 – Thanks also for the comments! Sorry for the wait but here it goes.

12courtney12 – I don't believe that a story should be just one thing. A story needs action, drama, comedy, angst, romance, and maybe even a touch of horror every now and then to really feel like a story. I'm glad you're enjoying it and thank you for the review!

Without further delay, the new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Coming Down the Mountain**

* * *

It was a quiet Friday night far away from the city. The forest was serene and quiet, yet campers and forest creatures were looking up. High in the sky above the clouds were beams of light emanating from a normally tranquil structure which held an eternal vigil over the earth.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOHAN!"

Gohan smiled feeling both happy and embarrassed as his old friends celebrated his birthday on Kami's Lookout. Mister Popo had wheeled out a huge ten layer chocolate cake and thirteen candles were spread along the rim. Gohan focused on not making a mess of things this time as he inhaled, and thought of a wish. Piccolo could practically hear Gohan's internal dialogue, "I wish for my new friends to become as close and dear as my old friends." He managed to blow out the candles with only minor movement of the frosting.

"Congrats bro!" Krillin patted Gohan on the back, "you're officially a teenager now!"

"Thanks Krillin!" Gohan beamed.

"Oh to be that young again," Master Roshi appeared to be reminiscing. He leaned in close to Gohan and tried to speak quietly, "If you find yourself… you know… in _need_… of _teenage_ necessities, I won't make any mention if some of them _go missing_ from my house. Catch my drift?"

Gohan blushed slightly, "Ummm…"

Master Roshi laughed, "Thatta boy son, thatta boy."

"Do we give Gohan his presents now?" Dende scooted closer and asked excitedly.

Mr. Popo grinned, "Dende has been wanting to give Gohan his gift for days now."

"Then I suppose Gohan can open his presents next," Chichi relented. She pushed her gifts forward first, "Undoubtedly my gifts will be the most practical so go ahead and open these first so you can get to the more exciting ones after."

"Aww, practical can still be exciting mom!" Gohan pulled the box over and unwrapped it throwing paper everywhere, "Oh wow!" Gohan held up a microscope, and a sophisticated looking one at that. Most of the Z-fighters laughed figuring Chichi would get her son something educational related, "Thanks mom, it's awesome!"

"I'm glad you like it baby," Chichi pulled it to the side so it wouldn't be in the way of the rest of the gifts.

"Mo~m…" Gohan whined.

"You'll be sixty years old and I will still call you baby!" Chichi spoke with a very matter of fact tone.

"That doesn't help me feel any better…" Gohan shook his head and opened his next few presents. Most of his friends got him gift cards to restaurants so he could get better lunches while at school, "You guys are awesome! How'd you know school food is terrible and nowhere near enough?" Everyone laughed knowing quite well no school could possibly be prepared for the saiyan boy's appetite.

A handwritten card amongst the pile appeared to be a certificate for a "Defeat at the hands of the Prince." Gohan looked up to Vegeta who just mouthed, "Anytime" in his ominous manner.

Gohan's grandpa once again had the most gifts on the table mostly with toys ranging from twelve sided Rubik's Cubes to rocket kits. The huge man always did what he could to make Gohan feel special.

Hardly any guess work was needed as Gohan pulled over his gift from Piccolo. The box was small but weighed a ton. Inside was a new training gi, more similar in style to Goku's old orange gi but in Demon Tribe colors with Piccolo's symbol, "Wow, thanks Piccolo! How'd you get it to be this heavy?"

Yamcha cringed, "Oh man… if _he_ thinks it's heavy…"

Piccolo grinned, "I had to get inventive to find something that might continue to challenge you."

"I'll definitely wear it whenever I'm training!" Gohan changed shirts real quick and showed off the look to everyone.

"OK, you need to open mine next!" Dende's gift was hidden amongst the plants behind the table. It wasn't in a box, but it was wrapped which left strange looking contours around the object. It had to have been at least four feet tall and several feet wide as well.

"This is enormous Dende! What is it?" Gohan asked as he looked over the wrapped gift.

Dende put his hands behind his back and smiled, "Open it and see!"

Gohan wasted no time as he ripped the paper from his present and found a sculpture of a Dragon, "Oh wow…" Gohan was legitimately speechless as he walked around the statue. "Dende, did you make this?"

Dende beamed happily and nodded, "It took a while getting the scales to pop in the clay, but Mr. Popo was a great teacher!"

Gohan slowly looked over the detail, "He's not a dragon like Shen-Ron… he looks a lot more like an Indo-European dragon like the ones from Dungeons and Dragons."

"I based it off how you look while wearing your suit," Dende walked around Gohan, "The dragons in the kind of legends that dragon is from were always guardians of a precious treasure, and that's what you've become! A great dragon like guardian over this entire planet."

The rest of the Z-Fighters cheered as Gohan received high praise from the god of the earth.

"Thanks Dende, I love it!" Gohan hugged his friend as everyone admired Dende's craftsmanship.

Krillin laughed, "How many kids can say they get gifts from the god of the earth on their birthday?"

"Just him," Dende needlessly pointed out.

"Piccolo was right," Gohan grinned to his friends, "My life is kind of unique, thank you all so much. Today's been a blast!"

The party began to settle and Gohan found himself sitting at the edge of the lookout staring out over the earth below. After a few minutes Dende sat beside him, their legs dangled off the side of the temple as Dende looked over Gohan's contemplative face, "Are you ready for tomorrow then?"

"I think so…" Gohan leaned back and looked up at the clear glittering sky as he thought about what might come of the following day.

Dende could tell there was a lot on Gohan's mind from the way the universe reflected off his eyes, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and ease them into who I am I guess," Gohan started, "I shouldn't jump out and blow everything all at once, I kind of want them to figure some things out on their own."

"What do you mean?" Dende thought the notion odd.

"It's just that they've been trying to figure out who The Dragon really is all school year now, so I don't want to just drop the bomb out of nowhere and say it's me," Gohan crossed his arms behind his head as he continued to stare upward with unblinking eyes, "So I want to leave some hints that will help them figure it out on their own."

"I guess that's not a bad idea…" Dende wasn't sure why Gohan couldn't just come out and say what he wanted, but decided Gohan knew humans better.

"I'm going to show them around Mt. Paozu, and I'm sure something will happen while we're there that will give them some hints," Gohan finally closed his eyes as if he were picturing scenarios that could develop, "Yeah, after tomorrow they should have a pretty good idea of what my life is like."

Dende patted Gohan's shoulder, "It sounds like you've got this all thought out then, good luck!"

"Thanks!" Gohan let out a breath, "I'm still really nervous about this."

Piccolo approached the two, "Just be yourself Gohan and you'll do fine."

Gohan smiled wide and nodded, "Right!"

The serenity of the moment was broken as Krillin yelled from the temple entrance, "Come on over you guys, we're going to start some karaoke!"

Lights and music continued to spring forth from the lookout for another few hours. The adults were drinking and getting louder, Master Roshi made a few more lewd comments to Bulma and Chichi at which point Chichi announced, "I think it's getting a little late, Gohan help me get your things in the car so we can go."

"Can't we please stay a little bit longer mom?" Gohan asked politely.

Chichi looked over her shoulder as Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chaotzu started singing, "Ohhh, aye-dee, dai-dee, dai-dee, dai-dee, dai-dee, dai-dee-dai," and Krillin began the jig, "I went out once with this girl."

"No honey it's late and we need to be up early tomorrow to prep for your other friends," Chichi hoped emphasizing that point would get Gohan to move without further delay.

The song continued to Chaotzu's line, "We went to land so fertile."

"Right, okay then," Gohan ran to where his gifts were.

Yamcha's line came next, "And after we had a great big meal."

Gohan was able to lift the stack of boxes without any help and was taking them to the car.

Finally it was Master Roshi's line, "I got to snarf the turtle!"

All of the singing warriors broke into fits of laughter as they tried to close the song, "Oh-aye-dee-dai!"

Gohan looked at them strangely as he walked by, "What does snarf the turtle mean?"

Master Roshi was still laughing as he tried to collect himself long enough to say, "Basically it's when you get a girl to take off her…"

"Get in the car Gohan, now." Chichi resorted to using extra sternness in her voice.

Gohan recognized the tone of voice his mother was using and assumed she was in a hurry for some reason. He carefully buckled in his new dragon statue in the backseat and hopped in himself. Chichi glared at the men for a moment before getting in the car and starting the engine. Gohan lowered the window and waved as they were leaving, "Thanks again everyone, I had a blast!" The car flew off immediately.

A confused look was on Dende's face as well as he leaned over to Piccolo, "As god of the earth, should I know what…"

Piccolo interrupted Dende with a simple, "Nope."

Dende nodded quickly and returned to the edge of the lookout where he watched Gohan's car descend back to his home.

Gohan spent most of the night staring at the ceiling as he could hardly sleep due to all the thoughts and scenarios playing out in his head. It seemed as though one moment he had just closed his eyes and the next when he opened them again there was a knock at his door, "Gohan sweetie, time to get up and get things ready."

Gohan sat up and stretched not feeling rested at all but carried enough excitement to get him going. With a quick hop to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, Gohan ran outside where the picnic table was situated.

Chichi was opening a box of party supplies, "I picked up a few streamers to liven up the place, do you think you could hang these between the two trees here?"

"Sure thing mom," Gohan beamed as he unfolded the "Happy Birthday" streamer and floated up to a branch of one tree to tie it off, and then stretched the other end to the branch of another nearby tree.

"I also picked up a piñata which needs to be hung up," Chichi pulled out a piñata in the shape of a dinosaur and handed it to Gohan to hang as well.

"Perfect…" Gohan grinned to himself as he realized he could smash the piñata into the next time zone, "That will start some ideas."

The yard work and preparations were all finished with a good hour to spare before the guests were due to arrive. Gohan waited impatiently for the time to tick by. Chichi could only laugh to herself as she looked into the living room and caught a glimpse of Gohan sitting upside down on the couch with his arms crossed.

Goten crawled through the living room and saw Gohan in that position as well. He did a headstand in front of his big brother which seemed to be easy for him with his oversized toddler head and both he and Gohan giggled before Goten tumbled over.

The clock struck eleven. "Any minute now," Gohan whispered to himself.

Fifteen minutes went by but there was no sign of anything yet. Chichi smirked as she could feel the anxiety wafting in from the living room, "You said they were all coming together, right?"

"Yeah," Gohan tapped on the seat cushion nervously.

"Hmmm… how odd then," Chichi couldn't help but tease her son a little bit.

Gohan started going over their last conversation in his head, "Did I give them the wrong time, or bad directions maybe?"

After another fifteen minutes Gohan was almost pacing when the sound of skycar approaching caught his attention. The door almost didn't stand up to how quickly he ran out to take a look. "My, my. Someone's a little excited," Chichi shook her head as she put down the book she was reading and followed Gohan out.

A car was definitely descending toward the house. The windows rolled down and a few heads popped out of the side and arms waved, "Hey Gohan!"

Gohan waved back, "Hi!"

The car landed and the three teens disembarked. The driver leaned toward the window, "What time should I return for you miss?"

"Would about eight 'o'clock be alright?" Videl asked looking towards Gohan.

"Yeah that should work fine," Gohan agreed.

"Very well, I shall return promptly by eight," and with that the car lifted back up and left.

"Sorry we're late," Sharp crossed his arms and looked over to his sister, "We would have been here sooner, but _someone_ took forever to get ready!"

"It's a special day!" Erasa stuck her tongue out at Sharp, "And I'm also sorry, but you don't mind that we're a little late, do you Gohan?"

Gohan shook his head, "No of course not!"

"He wasn't worried in the slightest," Chichi smiled as she approached, "It's nice to finally meet you three, I've heard a lot about you all. I'm Gohan's mother."

Videl bowed her head courteously to Chichi, "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Son." The others followed suit showing their signs of respect.

Internally Chichi was relieved Gohan finally had some friends who were well mannered, "Please, come right this way, I'll have lunch out shortly."

"Sweet food!" Sharp cheered.

"Would you like any help with anything Mrs. Son?" Erasa asked politely.

"You just got here, take a look around and have fun for a bit. Thank you though," Chichi returned inside and left Gohan to attend to his friends.

Videl was looking around at all the mountain forest scenery, "This really is such a beautiful place Gohan, I can't believe you live here and still make it to school every day."

Gohan nodded, "My family has lived here my whole life; the shrine next to my house is actually where my dad was raised by his grandpa."

Sharp whistled, "I see why you would want to stay here though, I mean listen." The four were quiet for a moment, "Do you hear that?"

Erasa looked around, "I hear the sound of wind blowing, and birds chirping, but that's it…"

"Exactly!" Sharp nodded, "No busy hustle of cars and horns or the drone of hundreds of voices talking at once, just a calm peacefulness."

"I've never known you to be so poetic," Videl teased.

"Give me a paint brush and I may surprise you milady," Sharp bowed gentlemanly like making the group laugh at his antics.

Erasa moved over towards Gohan, "So what's the plan for today?"

Gohan motioned towards the table, "First we'll have lunch and play a few games and then I thought we might go on an adventure hike through the woods."

"That sounds like fun!" Videl sounded genuinely excited as they made their way closer to the house.

Gohan's friends set their gifts on the table as Chichi rolled out a cart with several stacks of food on it.

"Oh wow! Mrs. Son, you didn't have to go through the trouble of making so much food just for us!" Erasa held her hand to her mouth at the site of the food.

Chichi chuckled as she left the cart by the table, "Feel fortunate if that one there decides to share any with you guys."

Gohan was already eying the food hungrily, but willed his attention back to his friends, "You guys better grab your plates first actually."

Everyone grabbed a few plates and sat down. Gohan sat closest to the cart and just started pulling food off of it as needed.

The group chatted idly about parents and school as they ate. Sharp took in a spoonful of rice, "Our mom got us up early today just to lecture us about being polite and helpful today while we're over here. It's like she thinks we're monsters or something."

Gohan had already finished three bowls of chicken and rice and was moving to his fourth.

"Swallow your food first," Erasa scolded her brother, "I suppose it doesn't help that you put a hole in the wall with your barbell."

The fourth bowl was pushed aside and Gohan grabbed the fifth.

"Hey, you're the one that made the whole house smell like dead frogs!" Sharp retorted.

A sixth bowl was already in the process of disappearing.

"It's called formaldehyde, I was trying to extract an oil basin so I could lubricate a hydraulic shaft," Erasa crossed her arms and looked away.

By then the ninth bowl was in the air.

Videl laughed, "At least you guys can be honest with your parents. They may get upset with you but are still really supportive of the things you want to do."

"I hope you're not trying to suggest your dad being unsupportive of the things you want to do," Erasa poked her friend, "Or must I remind you that you fight crime as an extracurricular activity?"

"If it has to do with training to fight, my dad is all for it," Videl sighed, "But if he knew I was at a boy's birthday party right now, let's just say the scenery wouldn't be so peaceful."

Sharp tried to grin comfortingly, "That just means he cares… in his own Hercule Satan sorta way."

Videl looked away, "I'm just getting tired of hearing his rants like," Videl cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "'Any boy that wants to date you will have to be stronger than me.' As much as I've been trying to prove I don't need someone to be stronger than him for my protection, he just doesn't get it. I can take care of myself. But I almost wish there was someone out there who could put him in his place just so he would stop already."

Sharp and Erasa were looking sympathetic when a belch from the other side of the table caused them to laugh.

"Sorry," Gohan squeaked out only mildly embarrassed.

"Gee Gohan, you make such a mess of yourself when you eat," Erasa scooted over closer to him and wiped the rice from his face, "There you go."

Gohan blinked a few times not sure what to make of the girl's actions, "Thanks."

Erasa closed her eyes and grinned. The interaction between them stole the attention away from the twenty two empty bowls now on the cart.

"We should get to some games huh?" Erasa continued on in her regular cheery demeanor.

"Yeah, what have you got going on out here?" Sharp perked up immediately.

Gohan grinned to himself, "My mom picked up this piñata, it's the first one I've ever had at my birthday."

"Feel like acting like a little kid huh?" Sharp asked as he looked over the tyrannosaurus looking toy.

"Be nice Sharp, I think it'll be fun!" Erasa grabbed a stick and blindfold, "In fact, I'll go first."

"Sure!" Gohan and Sharp took the rope ends and tossed them over nearby branches so they could get the candy sack airborne. Videl tied the blindfold around Erasa's head and then spun her around quickly.

After several near tumbling spins Erasa asked, "Are you sure I'm supposed to be blindfolded _and_ dizzy while trying to swing at a moving object?"

"It'll make it more interesting," Videl laughed as she let go of her friend.

Erasa stumbled forward and swung, completely missing the rex.

Videl started shouting directions to help Erasa out, "More to your left, higher!"

"Further left and waist height!" Sharp shouted as pulled on the rope making it move to the right and higher.

While trying not to laugh, Videl continued, "Don't listen to your brother, he's leading you astray!"

"What else is new?" Erasa grunted as she swung again where she heard the ruffling of the paper.

"Almost had it, just a little higher!" Gohan cheered as he lowered and pulled on the rope.

"No good, next!" Sharp cried after fifteen seconds.

Erasa pulled off the blindfold, "Fine, then next is your turn!"

Sharp made a "tsk" noise, "No problem."

Once he was blindfolded and spun around, Videl took his place at the end of the rope. Sharp took a swing as the piñata was pulled up and spun around from the wild miss.

"Oh! not even close!" Erasa beamed.

"You're supposed to give me some clues here," Sharp groaned as he swung again.

Gohan caught Videl trying to get his attention with hand gestures. It looked like she wanted him to swing the rope from side to side rather than just up and down. He shrugged and complied as Videl matched the momentum with tugs from her side.

Sharp's muscles tightened as he was going for another vicious swing when Videl brought the whole piñata forward hard and tackled Sharp with it, sending him to the ground.

Sharp didn't move from the ground for a moment while his friends laughed. He finally pushed up his blindfold, "Did Videl just hit me with a dinosaur?"

"Sorry Sharp, I guess we did do that," Gohan tried to hold back his giggles but wasn't being very successful.

Sharp rolled backwards onto his feet, "I do believe that makes it your turn Miss Satan."

"He's sounding so formal," Videl grinned, "You don't suppose he has payback on his mind do you?"

"Oh not at all," Erasa continued the mocking banter, "He's not like that in the slightest."

Sharp grabbed the rope and readied himself, "All in jolly good fun dear lady. Whenever you're ready simply give the word."

Erasa put the blindfold on Videl and spun her around. Once satisfied she backed away, "All set!"

"Bring it on Sharps," Videl grinned confidently.

"A~nd awa~y we go!" Sharp pulled back on the rope and wasted no time to lunge it Videl's way.

More than ready for what Sharp was about to do Videl sidestepped and jumped forward smashing the stick right into the core of the piñata and sent it sailing off the rope, across the yard, where it crashed into the side of the house and burst open releasing all of its sugary contents.

"Gosh you know how to take all the fun out of things," Sharp moaned.

Gohan scratched his head realizing he wouldn't get to show off by smashing the piñata himself now.

Chichi walked by to check on the teens with Goten in her arms and saw the mess on the side of the house and Videl holding the stick, "She did that? Interesting…"

Goten saw the candy and squirmed out of Chichi's grasp and started grabbing huge handfuls of it.

"Gohan, Is that your brother?" Erasa cooed, "He's adorable"

"Yup, that's Goten," Gohan walked over and ruffled Goten's hair. Goten didn't seem to notice as he popped candy ball after candy ball into his mouth. "Ummm… If you guys want any of the candy you may have to fight him for it now," Everyone laughed despite how serious Gohan was.

"At least with a couple of food vacuums around here I don't have to worry too much about cleanup," Chichi shook her head as she watched her youngest carry on. "Why don't you all go ahead and have your fun and I'll make sure this little monster doesn't start eating the house once he's done with the candy."

"Thanks mom!" Gohan grabbed a backpack and dared to fill it with candy bits that Goten hadn't gotten to yet and waved to his mom as he led his friends into the woods.

The forest beyond the house almost instantly darkened from the thick canopy of trees. The further the group walked the taller the trees seemed to get as well.

"How tall are the trees here anyway?" Sharp asked as he looked up and spun around trying to see through the leaves.

"The trees around here can grow between twenty and thirty meters high, and they're really thick around too," Gohan knocked on one of the larger trees, "Just one of these makes enough firewood to last for a few months."

Erasa walked around a large tree stump, "Well that's a good thing because they must take forever to chop down."

"Not really," Gohan rubbed his hand on the broken wood of the stump, "They actually come down pretty quick if you do it right."

"Do you have a tree house?" Videl asked looking around.

Gohan stepped back and hummed, "No I've never had one actually."

"That's such a shame," Videl took note of the spacing between each tree, "You would think trees like this would be perfect for a tree house…" a warm smile crossed her face as she noticed Gohan examining the trees for potential as well, "But it's okay, I've never had one either."

Sharp joined in the tree gazing, "I wonder how hard it would be to build one…"

"Hmmm," Videl tilted her head, "I don't know, what does our resident engineer think?" The three looked around, but Erasa was no longer in the clearing with them.

"Erasa?!" Gohan called out.

"Hey guys…" a voice echoed from deeper in the woods followed by the loud growl of a ferocious sounding animal.

"Oh no…" Gohan took off running with his friends chasing behind him. "Here we go," Gohan thought as he ran faster and jumped from rock to rock in near super speed. "Erasa!" he called as he entered the clearing he heard her shout from.

In the center of the clearing Erasa was sitting down and lying beside her was a giant sabretooth tiger rubbing its cheek against her leg purring loudly as she petted it down its neck, "The animals around here are cute also!"

Videl and Sharp came running through the trees. Sharp scratched his head at the site, "Cute… right…"

Gohan crossed his arms and tilted his head, "I guess he likes you…"

The tiger got up and licked Erasa's face before running off back into the woods. Erasa giggled as she watched it go, "Jealous?"

"Pfft," Sharp turned his head, "I could probably pet a tiger if I wanted to."

Erasa shook her head and poked Gohan as she walked by him. Gohan still looked rather dumbfounded but tried to shake it off and continued the hike.

As the group approached the cliff face Gohan realized they were really close to Icarus's cave. Gohan nodded to himself as he thought, "If they recognize Icarus as The Dragon's companion then that will make them ask for sure!"

Just over a hill and the cave came into sight, "Hey, look at that!" Videl called as she ran up to the cave entrance. Gohan let them explore knowing Icarus was good natured enough to not have to worry about his friends wandering inside the dragon's lair.

Gohan waited outside, almost grinning to himself while picturing how he'd finally have to admit who he was.

"What a shame, it's empty," Videl moaned.

"Huh?!" Gohan took a look inside as well.

"You can tell something has been living here," Erasa examined a straw bed like nest.

Gohan almost huffed as he looked over Icarus's bed and food bowl.

"Where to next?" Videl asked finishing her look around the cave.

"There's a trail that leads to the west side of the mountain nearby," Gohan pointed through the woods, "The west end is mostly desert, but the rock formations are really something else."

"Let's go have a look then!" Erasa cheerily led the entourage in the direction Gohan had pointed in.

Walking that distance took a while, but the group kept laughing about silly things they saw and enjoyed each other's company.

A flash of light nearby caught Gohan's attention. He turned to look and saw a man in a full suit taking their picture with a fancy camera. When the man noticed Gohan had spotted him he panicked a little a ducked behind a bush.

"That's weird…" Gohan mumbled to himself. The others didn't seem to notice and all walked on normally.

The trail the four were walking down passed through a narrow canyon wall. There were less than six meters of space between the walls the path snaked through. Conversation stopped as the sound of pebbles sliding down the rock wall grabbed their attention.

Sharp squinted his eyes, "What's that?"

Standing at the top of the canyon was a gigantic bear-man. He jumped off the ledge and landed with a hard rumble. He took a sniff of the air and licked his chops before taking out a large scimitar and pointing it at the four teenagers, "I smell sweats on you! Hand them over now or become the Bear Thief's next meal yourselves!"

Gohan looked over his shoulder at his backpack and realized it must have been the piñata candy that the Bear Thief was smelling, and though it wouldn't have been a big deal to hand them over it presented an opportunity.

"No way!" Gohan shouted up to the much larger warrior, "It's my birthday and these are for my friends and me!"

The giant thief chuckled, "I'm so happy for you. Now unless you want this to be your last birthday you'll do as I ask!"

Gohan lowered himself into a striking pose.

Sharp began to laugh, "Gosh this guy's dumb!" Gohan and the thief looked over at Sharp after his quip.

"Yeah," Erasa agreed, "You're pointing a sword at the daughter of Mister Satan and her friends over candy? I can't believe your life means so little to you."

Videl cracked her knuckles as if stress the point.

The Bear Thief gasped, "Ohmygosh! It _is_ you, the daughter of _the man_, the sweetheart of Satan City, Videl!" Confusion spread across the teenagers faces the thief started gushing in a starry eyed manner. "You may not believe this but I'm a huge fan!" The Bear Thief went through his pouch and pulled out a magazine highlighting the life of the Satan family, "Can I… possibly… have your autograph?"

"HUH?!" Everyone nearly fell over from the strange turn of events.

"Sure…" Videl took the magazine and a marker from the bear man, "To… ummm… Bear Thief… Looking good… keep working out… *fistbump… Signed Videl Satan…"

The Bear Thief's hands were nearly shaking as he took the magazine back, looked over the autograph and let out a howl like squee.

"I have one more favor to ask," Gohan readied himself just in case as the thief put the magazine away.

"What is it?" Videl tried not to sound too awkward as she spoke to the bear.

"I want you to knock the bad guy out of me!" The bear man pleaded.

"Huh?" Once again Videl and the others were floored by the request.

The bear nodded, "Oh please! Little boy," The thief pointed to Gohan, "Here's my camera, get a picture of it as Miss Satan punches me as hard as she can in the face, I want to cherish this moment forever!"

Gohan took the camera, "Okay… sure."

The Bear Thief ducked down and faced the camera with his cheek close to Videl.

"So you want me to pretend to hit you?" Videl asked as she posed for a picture.

"Oh no, please hit me as hard as you can Miss Satan," The bear looked like he was psyching himself up, "I want to capture this moment authentically."

"If you're sure…" Videl shook her head and began to lunge.

"WAIT!" The Bear Thief stopped the action for a moment as he took in a few more deep breaths, "Alright I'm ready, GO!" He snarled to make it look more realistic.

Videl reeled her fist back and socked the Bear Thief square in the side of the jaw. Gohan snapped the photo just as the bear's head was contorting around Videl's fist. The flash went off and then the bear flew into the canyon wall, obviously seeing stars.

It didn't look like the thief was getting up anytime soon, "I guess we're done here?" Videl asked.

Sharp and Erasa both shrugged. Gohan almost felt bad for the bear. He put the camera back in his pouch and patted him consolingly before he chased after his friends.

"Did you really punch him as hard as you could?" Erasa asked having noticed the cracks left in the rock by impact with the bear.

"I probably could have hit harder," Videl thought about it, "I dunno, I just couldn't get my heart into it to do any more than that."

Sharp whistled, "He should be thankful, any harder and his head might have popped off."

The group chuckled and continued their hike down the path. It was only a little further until the canyon opened up, "Here we are guys," Gohan pointed out, "The Diablo Desert."

"Whoa…" The group looked around at the rock formations that shot out from the ground and then made a canopy cover almost like trees but completely stone. The landscape was littered with all sorts of surreal formations.

"That one is huge," Erasa pointed out the tallest one visible, "It has to be nearly a hundred meters straight up."

Gohan nodded, "Yeah some of these just look impossible, but are really cool to see at least once."

"Thanks for showing us Gohan," Videl looked from side to side as far as her vision reached and for a moment lost herself in how beautiful the mountainous nature could be, "We never see anything like this in the city, in fact I've never seen anything like this ever. It's amazing."

Gohan pointed further west, "Past those really tall rocks over there is a huge mushroom forest. Some of the mushrooms grow as big as the trees near my home. We don't have enough time to walk there today but you guys will have to see it sometime."

An idea struck Sharp, "Maybe we could take a camping trip sometime and explore the whole place!"

"Yeah that would be awesome!" his sister agreed.

"Sure, anytime," Gohan grinned.

Videl thought about it, "It would take some creative explaining to my dad, but I'm sure we could manage something. We've only got another month and a half of school, so we should make plans to do something really fun while school is out."

The four teens were eating the snacks Gohan had brought with him when he caught sight of another flash out of the corner of his eye and turned to see another man in a suit and hat with a camera who hid as soon as the flash went off.

Videl took a look at her watch, "If we want to make it back with some time to spare then we should probably start walking back to Gohan's house."

The four reversed trek and made their way back. While climbing up in the afternoon sun it was easier to see the gradation between desert of the west side of the mountain and the slowly thickening forest as they headed east through increasing amounts of shade and the sounds of nature such as birds and flowing water.

Another flash went off and Gohan stopped walking.

"Is something wrong?" Erasa asked noticing Gohan falling behind.

"We're being followed," Gohan stated simply as he looked around the forest.

"Followed? By who?" Videl tried honing her senses to filter out noises and see any potential threats.

Gohan tried sensing how many people were nearby, "I'm not sure, but they've been taking photos of us."

"Like the Bear Thief?" Erasa asked with a sigh of disinterest.

Gohan could tell there were at least six human energy signs around them, "No, definitely someone else." His hair stood on end as he felt the energy patterns come closer, "They might be up to no good."

Gohan assumed a defensive pose as he prepared for whoever might jump out from behind the trees. He was ready to jump in and put a quick halt to these stalker creeps.

"Well if they want to mess with us then let them come, I've been itching for a workout today!" Sharp stretched his shoulders back and popped his neck to loosen up.

"That was perfect star quality baby!" The four teens stood flabbergasted as a short man hopped out from behind the foliage. The man wore a fancy mobster like zoot suit, but without the fedora. The man was so short the top of his head probably wouldn't pass the shoulders of any of the teens present.

"Umm…" Videl eyed the man suspiciously, "Can we help you?"

The man pushed his way over to Sharp as three more much larger men in suits holding fancy cameras climbed out of the brush behind him, "My card."

Sharp took the card and read it out loud, "Vodka talent search and recruitment, Vodka agent and CEO."

The man chuckled as he brushed his jacket, "You recognize me now?"

All four teens shook their head, "No."

Vodka nearly fell over, "I'm in the showbiz baby, I'm the guy who found and brought such brilliant action stars as Jason Strongarm, Jackie Chop, Johnson Rockhead, and lots of other big J actors to the silver screen."

"Cool…" Sharp looked down at the card and then back up again, "So what do you guys want with us?"

Vodka snickered as he whispered, "You kids could be my big blockbuster ticket…" He cleared his throat and continued at an exaggerated volume, "I mean I want to make yous famous!"

Erasa tried to step in, "Thanks but…"

Vodka kept his pitch rolling, "You've all got potential, but you most of all!" Vodka pointed up to Sharp.

"Me?" Sharp asked with a hint of concern to his voice.

"Yes you!" Vodka lowered his voice as he said, "And not too bright which puts you up a few more points," He laughed as he approached the boy, "You know what your look screams at me baby? That this is a guy who isn't afraid to show off and get dirty, am I right? Look at you wearing the classic muscle shirt, showing off the heat you're packing in those guns, aye-yuy-yuy. That soft face is destined to grow into that chiseled look that every dame is gonna be heads over heals for. The only thing that could make the girls even more gaga over you is if we grew your hair out longer. If you started now we could milk this sweet innocent style for every penny it's worth and before you know it, BOOM, the explosions, BOOM, savin the dames, BOOM, GET TO THE CHOPPER, BOOM, money, moolah, I'm talkin the dinero baby!"

Sharp cleared his throat nervously, "Thanks but ummm…"

"You need time to think about it! Say no more, you just hold onto that card and you ring up old Vodka the moment you're ready to dive head first into the glory life. Let me pass out my cards to your little friends too," He gave a card each to Erasa and Videl, "You girls ain't bad, my main man over there is going to need some back up and everyone loves the girls with guns bit."

"Backup? Please…" Erasa smirked.

"Yeah, we'd steal the show I'm afraid," Videl focused her teasing towards Sharp who still wasn't sure what was going on.

"And one for y…" Vodka looked up at Gohan, "Do I know you?" Vodka looked at Gohan's face for a moment trying to place where the similarity was, "Ehhh, NOT for you, stop looking like such a mama's boy."

Gohan wasn't sure how to react as Vodka snapped his fingers and his men followed behind him. They got one more group photo of the teens and left, "Let's hit the road boys."

Videl patted Gohan on the back, "You live in an interesting place Gohan."

"I had no idea…" Gohan scratched his head as he and his friends walked back to his house.

Chichi put her book down again as she heard excited voices approaching the door of the house. Three excited teenagers and Gohan entered shortly thereafter, "Have a good hike?"

"Oh yes Mrs. Son," Erasa grinned happily, "This is such an amazing area you live in! There are cute animals, and very strange and eccentric people."

Chichi could tell from Gohan's expression that the day must not have gone as he had expected, but it obviously wasn't a bad day either, "I'm happy to hear you all had fun."

A skycar was heard approaching from over the house, "It sounds like our ride is here."

"Aww," Erasa moaned, "is it eight already? I was hoping we had a little time left."

"Afraid not," Sharp held up his fist and tapped it with Gohan, "Happy Birthday man, it was a very cool day."

"Definitely!" Erasa hugged Gohan, "I had a blast, hope we can come back again soon!"

Videl waited a little bit longer until Sharp and Erasa were heading outside. Then she hugged Gohan as well, "Happy Birthday, see you at school on Monday." She ran out as if to avoid anything awkward.

Gohan stepped outside as well to wave them off as the car lifted off into the sky.

"So," Chichi began, "It looks like they helped you see some things right here at home that you weren't expecting."

Gohan's eyes widened, "How'd you know?"

Chichi laughed, "Because that's what friends do, they change your perspective on the world." She returned to her book leaving Gohan to stare at the sky in thought.

A few minutes after the car was out of sight a small spec in the sky caught Gohan's attention. His mouth dropped as Icarus flew in and landed in front of him, "Oh, now you show up? Where were you when I needed you?"

Icarus looked at Gohan oddly unsure why Gohan looked upset so he licked the boy to cheer him up.

"Yeah yeah, but seriously what were you doing today?" Gohan petted Icarus gently under his horns. A nearby chortle caught both their attention as Icarus excitedly turned around and dashed back toward the noise. A dragon of a lighter purple color was close by and Icarus flew over to her and they bopped their heads together happily.

Gohan's mouth dropped, "Icarus! Did you ditch me for a girl?!"

Icarus chortled in some sort of response to Gohan before the two flew off together, "Fine then! I see how it is! Just wait and see what happens the next time you need me to cover for you!" Gohan yelled after him. "Friggin dragons…"

That night right before bed, Erasa happened to glance into Sharp's room as she walked by and caught him staring attentively into a mirror, "What are you doing?"

Sharp looked up, "How do you think I'd look with long hair?"

Erasa sighed and disappeared from the doorway. Thinking that was the only reaction he was going to get Sharp went back to staring at the mirror. A moment later a yellow mop was dropped over his head, "Hey!"

Erasa looked into the mirror over Sharp's shoulder, "No." Then she calmly left the room.

Sharp pulled the mop back behind his shoulders and tried looking from different angles, "No way…" He agreed before tossing the mop away and heading for the shower.

* * *

**End Chapter**

I'm really sorry again for the months long wait between chapters. I'm going to try and lift myself up and get back on track with things, but that's not an easy promise to keep. These stories mean a lot to me, they're sort of my escape from the real world which is why I keep eventually coming back to them. I've also got at least one other 1-shot to write for the 100th review of this story. That happened a while ago… wow… But I'll try and come up with something good. Thanks a lot you guys for reading my stories and making me feel special like I'm actually good at something.

Oh, and next time on Legend: School DAZE…

Space is cold and so very dark. In the dark a light has been blinking. So little energy is left, certain now that no more energy will ever come. It's a light that wishes for the chance to shine bright once more. A warmth envelopes it as it enters the atmosphere of a blue planet.

Beep, something from the past returns, next time on Legend!


	10. Interrupted by Shooting Stars

Wow two weeks on schedule. And I even edited all of the earlier chapters this week, surprised me! Of course right now I'd rather write this story than work on my actual job! This is so much more fun. I've added even more details to my outline of the story. Seeing as how I never stick to outlines and tend to add more stuff as I go anyway… At the conclusion of this story it should span 4 major arcs and over 120 chapters… And I'm barely getting to chapter 10! I hope you guys continue to enjoy the ride!

Last time on Legend: School DAZE

It was a Birthday Blowout for Gohan's 13th atop Kami's Lookout with his old friends and Mt. Paozu with his new ones. Gohan had reached the decision to hint at his identity to his friends and make them aware that he is The Dragon. Things don't go according to plan as the typical dangers of Mt. Paozu don't seem to be giving Gohan any opportunities to show off his abilities. In the end Erasa had an affinity for animals, the Bear Thief turned out to be a fan of Videl Satan, and Vodka offered to be Sharp's movie agent. Even Icarus decided to be absent while he followed his new girlfriend around. Will Gohan get a chance to reveal the real him to his friends? Find out on Legend: School DAZE!

And of course a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed over the last chapter:

wheathermangohanssj4 - Hopefully Gohan's friends will believe it when they see it. Once it happens it should be pretty hard to deny lol!

enarmonios - Oh man you got it so right there! Gohan needed to be able to see the world from outside his box and that's exactly what his friends are going to help with.

Ern Estine 13624 - Thanks again!

shugokage - Glad you enjoyed it!

anonymous - Basically things never tend to work out the way we plan them, it was time for Gohan to get his first lesson in that subject, lol! And when things do come out that also is almost never as it was planned… And thanks a lot for the kind words. You're right, there have been many nights where it's hard to do anything at all. As much criticism as I get for doing things like this though, I really do enjoy it and I don't want to stop despite the fact that I'll never get anywhere with it. But that's not what a hobby is supposed to do. I just have to keep in mind that not everyone learns to play guitar to go be a professional musician and keep following that train of thought while not getting too drunk lol. Thanks again

windblade8 - Cute preteen Gohan and friends, though I suppose no longer preteen after the last chapter lol. There's definitely been a lot of Erasa hinting, and in all honesty I'm not sure what is going to happen with Erasa in the short term. I have a few ideas… but we'll see…

EnixFairy - Vodka's talent scouts, creepy buggers… The more you think about the scenario the creepier it sounds huh… Thanks for the review!

abyssdoor - I'm not a detail person when it comes to power levels. If Akira Toriyama disregarded the idea of power levels so much then I definitely don't feel the need to try and stress their accuracy. Thanks a lot for the review!

yunayuu - I do worry though! Thanks a lot and I'm glad to have dedicated readers so I'll do my best not to let you down.

dcp1992 - It's always cool to get a little binge reading in! I've always hated time skips that gloss over early teenage years. I've always looked at those being the years that define what a person grows up to be. 12-16 is all about discovering yourself and the world and it's when relationships and events matter the most to you even if in the long run they turn out to not have been that big of a deal. It actually took a little while to come up with The Dragon, I seriously teetered for a while on calling him Gungnir after Odin's OP spear. I was playing Mega Man Star Force though and ended up using that as my inspiration and I'm happy with how it turned out. And the identity of The Dragon… I think it's been dragged out long enough, don't you?

Fayoken - Your review made me smile! Thank you, I will do my best to keep updates coming on as regular a basis as I can. Stay awesome as well!

Zuchiku - Thank you much, I was really hoping to capture some original Dragon Ball feel with this story. I felt it's what Gohan was missing was some of that solo adventuring time as a kid. There's a lot in store for Gohan… as I mentioned above, about 120 chapters worth if I follow the outline as it is now… and I hope throughout that time the story will travel across the entire bandwidth of emotions. Thanks for reading!

And even if you didn't review, thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this story. I keep an eye on the hits, favs, and follows, and it's great to feel a little popular around here. I hope very much you all are enjoying the story.

On to the Chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 10: Interrupted by Shooting Stars**

* * *

So cold and so dark. How much space exists between even the closest of worlds? Years of nothing, even in the jetstream of hyperspace. Long enough alone for even something that may or may not have ever been alive to question itself. Protected from the harshness around it, a fading light blinked on and off and on again.

After having seen no other light, or heard no other sound for so very long in this lonely place, the protective shell around it began to glow. Dull at first but quickly the orange light grew brighter, and everything became intensely hot.

A woman screamed as she was shoved against a building, her assailant tore her purse from her arms before running away. The mugger ran into an alleyway as a silent shadow saw the mugger and gave chase.

The alleyway was a dead end, but a fire escape led up the side of the building. The thief grabbed onto the ladder and began climbing up as something crashed into the side of the ladder and knocked him back to the ground.

"Just a common purse snatcher? You had my hopes up being so late at night," The man opened his eyes and saw Videl Satan standing in front of him.

The man smiled sinisterly, "Only too happy to oblige little lady." He threw off his jacket revealing a karate gi underneath.

Videl slapped her forehead, "Oh please, do you really think that makes you any more of a challenge to me?"

On cue the windows around her began to shatter. Videl looked from her left to her right as thugs decked out in fighting uniforms jumped out from the surrounding buildings. There were at least twenty of them all around her and closing in.

"A trap?" Videl crossed her arms retaining a look of utmost confidence, "Your chances may have gone up a little bit, but think about it, how many of you are going to be making trips to the emergency ward after this little escapade? Really think it's worth it?"

The original mugger took a step forward, "Oh Miss Satan, tonight is all about delivering a message. You see we're growing stronger, and we're not afraid of you, or your pathetic father anymore. We're calling him out and using you to do it. Once he's humiliated in front of this stupid town everyone will realize there is no safe place for them and they'll have to give in to our demands if they know what's good for them."

"Look, you're a charming fellow, but I've gotta warn you about something," Without warning Videl punched the guy to her left in the nose and swung him around to bash into someone on her right. Like a whistle blowing for recess, everyone charged the field. Videl flipped through the air and kicked a man in the jaw. She landed in a split leg position and elbowed another one in the crotch on her way down. She rolled between the legs of a large man in front of her and then kicked his knees out once she got behind him. Gaining some leverage she uppercut the next attacker before back kicking someone behind her. She was surrounded by so many attackers it was hard to focus and prioritize, but she willed herself to remain calm.

It didn't take much to lose track of what was going on behind her and a man made a running tackle at her. Caught in the momentum, Videl was pushed all the way to a building and pinned against a wall with his shoulder on her back. Videl grunted as she hit, but pushed off the wall enough to get her legs up and then kicked off into a backflip, kicking the man hard on the way down.

The first man caught up to her and grabbed her by the hair and held in place long enough to punch her in the gut and send her to the ground.

Videl pushed herself up immediately, "You're going to regret that!"

Before she could recover, she was jumped on and held still by six men, one on each leg, and two on each arm. Videl grunted as she pulled forward, almost lifting the two men on her right arm off their feet, "Do you fellas really think this is manly of you? Using twenty men to take on just one little girl?"

The mugger stepped forward and cupped Videl's chin, "I don't see it like that at all, I see it as plain ordinary people stomping out a beast; you should be flattered."

Videl spit in the man's face, "Haven't you heard that you should treat people the way you expect to be treated?"

"Let's see where your own advice lands you!" The man punched at Videl's left eye causing her to yell as she took the hit. The man lifted Videl's chin up to face him again, "Feeling a bit tamer yet?"

A fiery light shone in Videl's eyes, "I'm not so easy, you can go ahead and knock me down, I'll just get up stronger every time!"

Some of the men were looking intimidated that this girl's spirit refused to break.

"Let's put this theory to the test then, aye dear?" The mugger pulled back again and threw his fist towards Videl's nose.

A gust of wind picked up and blew the man off his feet away from Videl. From above the top of the building descended the boy with a blue winged aura.

"The Dragon!" The men yelled as they regrouped.

"It's just another kid, don't let him frighten you, we're prepared for this!" the defacto leader called to the troop.

Before the thieves could react, The Dragon flicked all six assailants off of Videl faster than they could see and without hurting the girl.

The twenty men all charged as The Dragon extended his ki every direction like a great flap of the dragon's wings and tossed them all away to the surrounding brick walls, pinning them under a surreal force.

Once the force let up off the men, most of them sank to the ground. "Don't let up," the mugger yelled, "We need to show them we're not afraid of people like him!"

"You should be," The Dragon spoke menacingly, "Anyone who would purposefully harm the innocent is my enemy. And my enemies will receive no mercy!" The Dragon flew forward and punched the leader of the bandits in the stomach hard enough that his body mass visibly shifted. He stepped back clutching both his stomach and his mouth. He keeled over and lost everything he'd eaten that evening.

In the next moment chaos broke out. Most of the bandits charged to attack, others beat the hasty retreat. Videl jumped on top of one man and flipped him over her legs before rolling herself back and elbowing two men in the crotch at the same time. The Dragon swiped his hand back and forth, knocking aside everyone in his way. As the scene cleared, sixteen of the bandits laid on the street unconscious leaving four to have escaped.

Videl was about to run after them but The Dragon stopped her, "Let them get word back on how bad they lost today, it will make them think twice about trying something like this again in the future."

The woman who was mugged saw everyone in the alley knocked out except the two heroes. She ran in and grabbed her purse, "Thank you…" She said meekly.

The Dragon nodded to her and turned around as the woman pulled a strange item from her purse and attempted to stab it into The Dragon's back. Videl grabbed the outstretched arm with the weapon in it and kicked the woman in the face, knocking her out, "Even she was a decoy? You've gotta be kidding me…"

"Some of these crooks are getting serious…" The Dragon looked over the woman who otherwise didn't look suspicious.

Videl kicked at the rod she dropped which let off enough voltage to light up the entire alleyway like daylight. Sirens were heard as police approached.

Videl crossed her arms, "I could have taken care of them on my own you know."

The Dragon nodded, "I know, but you don't have to."

The police sirens were only a block away now, "I should be going," The Dragon started to float away.

"Not quite yet!" Videl jumped up and grabbed onto The Dragon's back.

"What are you doing?" The Dragon blushed awkwardly.

"It's time we had a chat, take me someplace private," Videl demanded as if nothing about it were out of the ordinary.

Her actions caught The Dragon by surprise, "Sure." He flew them up out of the alley just as the police sealed the area off.

Videl looked over The Dragon's shoulder, taking in his cloud like view of the city, "There's no jet propulsion; how do you fly like this?"

"Is that what this is about?" The Dragon grinned.

Videl had to think about her response for a moment, "It's one of many questions I have for you."

The Dragon nodded, "Alright, hang on tight then."

Though confused at first, Videl soon found herself enveloped by The Dragon's aura as his speed increased dramatically. She had to shield her eyes against the wind behind The Dragon's helmet. As suddenly as the ride began though, it ended, and The Dragon touched down on the ground.

Shaky at first, Videl let go of The Dragon and looked around, "No way…" She gazed down at Satan City from a mountain top, "We're on top of Mt. Peel? But this is fifty kilometers away from where we just were!"

The Dragon nodded, "You can see the whole city from here. From this perspective it doesn't seem nearly as crime infested as it tends to feel when you're in the middle of it."

"Yeah, it almost looks… peaceful," Videl sat and stared in silence at the twinkling city lights with The Dragon.

After a moment The Dragon decided to sit beside her, "So…"

"Yes?" Videl turned quickly seeing only the reflection of herself and the city in The Dragon's visor.

"Umm…" The Dragon tried to find his gruff voice again, "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Oh!" Videl turned her head to look at the city and then back to The Dragon again, "Why are you here?" The Dragon's mouth formed a confused shape so Videl clarified, "I mean, why do you do the things you do? Glory? Fame? Power?"

The Dragon looked up for a moment in thought. After only a few seconds he shook his head, "Hope," He smiled genuinely at the girl beside him, "People need hope and to believe that when things are looking bad that there's something good that they can look forward to. I'd like to think that what I do allows people to live their lives not in fear, but in hope that they can enjoy peace."

Videl looked down at her hands, "I've seen so many would be heroes come and go, and each of them have always had a glory streak, myself and my father included, but I don't see that in you. It's so hard for me to believe that someone like you even exists."

"Why?" The Dragon asked almost immediately.

A look of almost shame crossed Videl's face, "Because I think that makes you a better person than me."

The Dragon looked at Videl's face for a moment. They were both quiet but then he smiled again, "Why did you become strong?"

Videl looked over at The Dragon out of the corner of her eye, "I wanted to prove myself, a lot of people thought the lineage of my father would die with him since he had no sons, so I needed to prove that I could be just as strong as any boy could hope to be."

The Dragon nodded, "That's why you started, now why did you keep going?" Videl's mouth hung open as she took in The Dragon's words. "Why did you decide to take your training to such a level where you beat up crooks in the middle of the night?"

"I saw how it made people feel," Videl seemed to shock herself with the answer, "I saw the look in the other kid's faces at school when I would stop them from being bullied. Like they suddenly had hope that things were going to get better for them."

"We're no different," The Dragon smiled, "We've both seen our fair share of bullies and decided to be the ones to make it end. You're not just a good person, you're amazing!"

Videl tried not to get emotional, but it was hard when she heard so much sincerity in The Dragon's voice. She looked again and the darkness allowed her to stare at the hero's eyes through his visor. Somehow, even with the red filter between them, Videl felt a connection in the eyes of the boy beside her. One that she somehow always knew would be there if they were to ever meet like this. Her hand came up and gently cupped his cheek inside his helmet.

The Dragon's eyes shot open and he gulped nervously as he realized what was happening. His mouth hung open and his breathing changed as he allowed the girl to continue to stroke his face, "Videl…"

"Shhh…" Videl slowly leaned in closer. The rhythm of both their hearts began to race. The Dragon took Videl's other hand in his own and cautiously leaned in to further close the gap between them. The breath from the other ghosted over the skin of their lips. Both teens were almost shaking from a cocktail of anxiety, excitement, and fear as they closed their eyes.

The Dragon's helmet beeped loudly causing the two to jump with a start.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked seeing worry in The Dragon's eyes.

"Something just pinged on my radar. Something's coming, and fast!" The Dragon pushed himself to his feet and looked up as the sky began to glow.

Up in the sky a meteor like object was flying through earth's atmosphere and heading toward Satan City. It lit up the sky in a brilliant orange like the morning sun.

"Oh no, is it gonna hit the city?!" The Dragon opened a panel on his arm, "Full radar!" His armband projected a holographic radar in front of him that he positioned over the falling object, "Range equals launch velocity times the square root of twice the height divided by gravity; that means we need the square root of one hundred and forty two point eight five seven, which is…" The Dragon snapped his fingers a few times apparently as he calculated out the math, "eleven point nine five two. So multiplied by entry velocity means… Landfall is fourteen point three four kilometers east of the city limits!" The Dragon breathed a sigh of relief.

Videl eyed The Dragon curiously, "Did you just solve an equation for trajectory in your head?"

The object hit a few kilometers outside the city limits just as The Dragon predicted, "There's nothing in that area, but I should check it out and make sure everything is okay."

"I'm going too," Videl grabbed onto The Dragon's back again.

"You weren't worried I'd just leave you up here were you?" The Dragon actually chuckled as he lifted off into the air towards the crater.

A blush came over Videl as she looked to the side, "I also don't want you thinking that you're off the hook so easily, I still have more questions for you once we make sure everything is alright down there."

The Dragon closed his eyes and nodded, "Any question you have… I'll answer."

Videl grinned, "Oh really? _Any_ question? So if I were to ask, _who are you really?_ You would honestly tell me?"

"If you really wanted to know," The Dragon closed his eyes and smiled as he looked over his shoulder, "then yes, I would tell you."

Videl held on tighter as she thought about whether she really wanted to know or not. Now that it was on the table that The Dragon was willing to just remove his helmet for her she wasn't sure if that would ruin part of the mystery and charm that she wanted to remain in place over the boy. Suddenly she found the situation much more confusing than she had intended it to be.

"We're here," The Dragon dropped from the air at the edge of the crater.

"Whoa…" Videl whistled at the sight of the hundred meter wide crater, "It's pretty big."

"We lucked out that it isn't any bigger," The Dragon kneeled down and scooped some of the charred earth into his hand, "It wouldn't take much more mass to have put a much bigger crater in the middle of the city."

The heat began to dissipate away from the crater and the metallic object in the center became more visible, "That doesn't look natural…" The Dragon slid down the black loosened dirt to inspect the object with Videl close behind him.

Once up close The Dragon held his hand over the beach ball sized object, "I thought it was metal, but from here it almost looks like… bone… or some kind of strange hybrid material."

"Creepy," Videl leaned in close as well. The structure was oblong shaped, most likely warped from the fall, but it did look a lot like a shell.

The Dragon finally touched the object and the two were startled as the shell suddenly cracked open in two lines like a flowering bud. From inside the two could see a faint red light.

"What the heck is this?" Videl tried to see inside through the openings in the shell.

"*Beep* Ge…" It made a sound that caused the two to jump back.

The Dragon slowly approached first, "Hello?"

"Ge…" a voice intermixed with static like it was being played through a breaking speaker spoke to them, "Get… detects… life forms… detected."

"It can talk!" Videl was astounded as she neared the object again, "Two life forms right here."

"It's some kind of alien computer," The Dragon condensed his energy into a ball to form a light to see inside the shell easier.

The red light began to flash rapidly and the components almost tensed, "*Beep* High energy output detected! Cannot withstand another energy blast… Destruction imminent."

"What? No!" The Dragon shook his head and reabsorbed the power in his energy ball, "I was just trying to use the light to get a better look at you, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Powerful beings…" The broken words were hard to understand without focusing, "…monsters… so much power… they destroyed… jettisoned… core survived!"

"Is that what happened to you?" Videl asked sympathetically.

The light began to dimmer, "Sought life… so alone… Was many voices… Now only one…"

"What are you?" The Dragon looked confused, "Are you… alive?"

There was no answer for a moment, "*Beep* Unknown… this unit… purpose… travel the universe… detect energy… collect data… archive samples… interact with life forms… social experimentation… Lost… All archives lost… monsters burned everything… took away the voices… Now… so alone..."

"It's a Von Neumann Probe…" The Dragon felt a tug on his heart strings, "A _very_ sophisticated one…"

Videl was unsure what words would provide such a thing with comfort, but the computer's story made her worry about a few things, "These monsters, what can you tell us about them? Are there a lot of them, might they be following you?"

The light was starting to glow a little brighter, "Monster location… *Beep* unknown… unable to track… current location… unknown… escape uncontrollable… was caught in gravitic space fold wake until interception of current planet… *Beep* Great powerful… destructive monsters… two in total… So much power… stole sustenance… cut out heart… destroyed body… Core all that remains…"

A spark exploded from within the shell startling the two observers. The Dragon kneeled down closer, "Are you okay?"

The broken audio box tried to speak again, "Matter drive… malfunction… can't… acquire… energy reserves… depleted… data engrams corrupting… Final shutdown imminent… *Beep*"

The light continued to blink, every time it came back on it was a little dimmer.

Videl didn't know what to do, "Can we help it?"

"I don't know," The Dragon spoke honestly as he continued to look the device over.

"I have a friend, Erasa," Videl started, "She knows a lot about technology and gadgets, she may be able to help it."

"I have some other friends who may be able to help as well…" The Dragon stood and shook his head, "But there's not enough energy left to last long enough to get any help for it."

"So there's nothing that can be done for it?" Videl cast her eyes downward.

The Dragon bit his lip, "I may be able to help, but I really don't know if it will help or hurt it actually."

"If it's going to die isn't it better to try?" Videl encouraged The Dragon knowing he'd agree with her.

"Yeah," The Dragon smiled confidently at Videl, "Listen… ummm… computer… I'm going to give you some of my energy, hopefully it can keep you going until we can get you to someone who can fix you. Our energies may not be compatible but it's our best option right now. Do you want me to help you?"

"*Beep* Help… Ge…" was the only response the fading light gave.

A determined look came over The Dragon as he held his hands close to it, "Here we go then." The Dragon focused, even if their energies were compatible he didn't want to push so much energy into the computer that it might explode.

Videl watched in amazement as The Dragon removed his gloves and reached into the shell to lay his hands on the computer. From where he touched the computer, a soft golden glow began to emanate around The Dragon's skin and the computer's shell. The light very slowly brightened until it lit up the crater like a campfire.

Nothing else happened. The red electric light continued to flicker, dim, and dissipate altogether. The Dragon bit his lip as he gently applied more energy.

Another few moments of nothing passed, but then the red light reignited brightly, "Energy reserves increasing!" The computer shouted with what appeared to be excitement in its voice.

The Dragon smiled, but then felt a pull which caused him to look oddly at his hands. His hands were forced to the surface of the computer as if they were magnetized. A white glow rippled through The Dragon's entire body starting from his back and exiting out his hands, "What the?!"

"Beginning full start up initialization!" The light began speaking louder and more clearly, "Archive engrams online. Accessing purpose systems. Bio matter engines activating. All systems returning to online mode!"

Videl was growing concerned as something seemed wrong.

From inside the shell, the computer appeared to be twisting in shape. It began to almost ooze out of its shell and made contact with earth. Then everything happened at an exponentially fast rate.

The ground all around Videl in the crater began to glow in patterns like a circuit board. The liquid bone metal expanded from its shell, wrapped around The Dragon's hands in the process.

"Reactivating all systems… Ge… Get… Get…t… Gete Star systems online!"

The Dragon's eyes widened in horror, "No way!"

The gate pulling on The Dragon's power opened wider and gave off an intense light as the boy screamed while his energy was forcibly ripped from his body. The metal bone structure continued to expand and soon huge pillars of it were shooting from the ground.

"LET HIM GO!" Videl lunged with a kick at the component that was holding The Dragon in place but the amount of energy flowing between them was strong enough that it blew her away before she could get too close.

The energy around the crater began to swirl in spiraling golds and reds reaching up toward the sky. The pillars which rose from the ground were beginning to close around them. The glow around The Dragon was beginning to fade. He opened one eye and looked at Videl, "Get away from here!"

"I won't leave you alone!" Videl shouted back.

The Dragon's knees buckled under him the lack of energy, "Warn others… The Gete Star absorbs bio matter for… energy… The city… isn't safe!"

The space to exit between the pillar structures was almost sealed, "What about you?!"

"GOOOO!" The Dragon yelled.

Videl's fist shook from frustration. She felt as though if she left that she was giving up and running away. But she also knew it would do the city no good if she was trapped inside and couldn't warn anyone of the danger, "I'll come back and bring help!"

The exits from the new dome being formed by the curving pillars were almost shut, but Videl managed to grab hold of a new pillar as it shot from the ground and swung herself out from the Gete Star just as it snapped behind her.

The Dragon watched her escape and grinned, "Good… Now hopefully Mr. Piccolo and the others… get here soon…" A Pedestal formed around The Dragon and a new room twisted out of the material around him.

Videl slid down the side of the new dome and landed on the ground with a roll. The Gete Star was larger than the crater it created on impact already, and strange growths were forming at its base and stretching towards the plant life. Grass, flowers, and trees were all being absorbed by the strange material and were apparently fueling its growth which wasn't slowing down.

"We offered you help and TRUSTED YOU!" Tears of anger and frustration were actually running down Videl's face, "I will never forgive this, NEVER!"

There was no response from the Gete Star as it continued to devour surrounding biomaterial and grow. With little other choice Videl ran towards the city. She pushed herself to sprint as best she could for ten kilometers and came across a police blockade.

"Videl Satan!" One of the policemen ran out to her. Videl noticed most of the other cops were staring wide eyed behind her, "What is going on out in that field?"

Videl turned around and saw how tall the Gete Star had grown in that short time. Nearly as tall as a skyscraper and much bigger around, "Trouble."

"Yeah… but…" The police officer tilted his hat and looked up, "What can we do about it?"

"Evacuate," The officers all looked startled at Videl. "Get everyone in its path as far away as you can. I have no idea how big this thing is going to get, but it doesn't look like it's going to stop growing anytime soon."

"We can do that Videl," The officer blew his whistle to call over some of his companions and get to work.

Videl ran up to an officer standing alone by a squad car, "I need a ride into town also."

The media was running live coverage of the growth approaching Satan City. "So far there are no reported human causalities. The origin of the growth is unclear, what is clear at this time is that it is consuming land and growing at a phenomenal rate."

Sharp held the remote tightly in his hand as he watched the happenings. An air strike siren was bellowing through the city waking up citizens and warning them to leave.

"Come on Sharp," Erasa pushed on her brother, "You should be packing."

"Yeah…" The two couldn't believe the sight being shown on the TV directly outside their city.

Before Sharp could pry himself away from the news feed, blue and red flickering lights shined in through the window.

"Police?" Erasa questioned just before there was a knock at the door. "Videl!" Erasa exclaimed not expecting to see her friend so late and during an emergency.

"I need help!" Videl was still shaking as she entered the house.

Her friends, unused to seeing her look so nervous knew something was off right away, "Besides the big tumor growing outside of town, what's wrong?"

Videl tried to quickly find the right words, "It's The Dragon, that _thing_ took him!"

"Whoa whoa," Sharp tried to calm Videl down, "Slow down just a bit, what happened, and what do you mean took him?

Videl's hand ran down her face as she tried to put what she saw into words, "I don't know, but The Dragon and I found that thing first, but it wasn't like that yet, it was this tiny little dying computer AI thing. The Dragon offered to feed it some of his energy or something like that, but then when he laid hands on it and I could see energy moving between them, that thing grabbed The Dragon and just started sucking all the energy out of him! He's weak and now he's stuck inside that thing while it eats him alive!"

It was plain to see that this affected Videl greatly, her shoulders were shaking and her typical confidence wasn't around. Erasa put her hands on Videl's shoulder, "I understand, we'll do everything we can to help."

Videl shook Erasa's hands from her and paced the room in frustration as she pieced together what she wanted to say, "I was in trouble today… These crooks set a trap for me and I walked right into it. I definitely would have gotten hurt if he hadn't helped me. But when the tables were turned and he fell into the trap there was nothing I could do!" Videl almost punched at the wall, but stopped herself at the last moment not wanting to damage her friends' home.

Both Sharp and Erasa understood how difficult it was for Videl to express her feelings this way.

Sharp stuck his head into the hall, "Hey mom, dad! We're going with Videl."

"Oh good!" a yell came echoing back, "You'll be safe from this thing with the Satans. Be safe you two."

"Yes mom," The two sang synchronously with each other.

"Thanks you guys," Videl sniffed.

"Of course," Erasa threw a thumb's up pose, "Though I suppose if MASK is going in to rescue The Dragon, we may need to redefine ourselves."

"We'll worry about that afterwards," Videl took a few calming breaths, "For now we need get any gear that can help us, save The Dragon, and stop this thing!"

* * *

**End Chapter**

The Big Gete Star is on earth! And it has a new saiyan battery. How big will the star grow, and how long before it starts forcibly harvesting biomass? Worlds are about to collide as rescue plans spring into action, next time on Dragon Ball Legend!

Thanks again everyone for reading. I really hope this ups the excitement a bit. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think.

'Til next time!


	11. Devil Comes Calling

Welcome back! I'm going for a decent streak again, three chapters in three weeks, all on time so far. I got myself a new Chromebook so I can write anywhere, I actually like it a lot better than my old slow clunky laptop even if it can't play too many games. I'm trying to get back into my social media too, so please feel free to come hang out on GooglePlus, Tumblr, and Twitter - you can find me on all three of those sites under Revu Review. Direct links are in my profile. I hope to get a chance to talk to more of you!

Speaking of socializing, I have some more thanks to give for some awesome reviewers!

SolarCorona - It's okay, I do that too sometimes. I'm glad things have been interesting and I will do my best to keep them that way!

EnixFairy - Thanks a lot! I figured it was about time for something big to happen. Glad you're enjoying it!

anonymous - Glad to have you back! Poor Gohan didn't have a chance to transform even into a level 1 Super Saiyan before the thing started draining him. I think it could have handled the power from a non-transformed Goku so Gohan should be at about the same level. And the two monsters are very real, they go by the names Goku and Vegeta. At this point Videl is going to have to start dealing with some of her confusion, because I wanted to imply that she has liked both Gohan and The Dragon throughout the story so far, but for different reasons - She likes Gohan because he's sweet, unthreatening, easy to talk to, and up until now has been trustworthy; while she likes The Dragon because he's strong and powerful, can be a badass when needed, and has a pain that he uses to strike fear into the hearts of evil. So the good boy gets a kiss on the cheek, but the bad boy she was willing to give her first real kiss to, especially when he turned out to be sweet as well.

Ern Estine 13624 - Of course! Glad you enjoy!

pir84lyf - *Beep* I have no idea what you're talking about… *Beep* Just getting that out of my system… *Beep* I think we have one of those back on the ship but the sodas aren't cold yet. *Beep* I've got it, just hit them _really_ hard. *Beep* Come with me if you want to live!

Saiyan Kween - Cooler has had two shots at the saiyans and flopped both of them, I'll try and make sure he stays buried. The Big Gete Star always struck me as quite the indomitable threat on its own if ever done properly. We'll see if we can do that! Thanks for the review!

dcp1992 - There are a few other stories where The big Gete Star has come in to play, but I've only seen it support other characters like Cooler and Frieza rather than being its own stand alone threat. The idea of Gete Star reminds me a lot of Unicron. And during that "Dragon" and Videl moment, I swear I had a remix of Interrupted by Fireworks playing the entire time. I even changed the name of the chapter because of that. I'm glad we have some fans of long stories, though when I get to the first break I'll have to decide whether to divide the series into multiple stories or just have one huge continuous story for the whole thing. And I wonder how much longer the Dragon's secret will be secret… /snicker

windblade8 - My evil plan has worked! I'm working a love triangle kind of weirdly here. I was tempted to throw in a line at one point between Videl and Erasa where Erasa would tease Videl that one of them could have Gohan while the other one could have The Dragon. I decided against it but the personality confusion is something I hope got across during the last two chapters. Some emotions are probably bound to get complicated sooner than later. There are plans in place for every character though! It might just take a while to get there… Glad you're liking it!

Shadow Tricked - Glad to hear! I'll try and keep it coming!

KingKiger - Thanks a lot! With all the notes I have for this story, nothing is stretching out as far as to reach the Buu saga yet. I don't think this will go on long enough to reach Buu or Beerus, but there's still some plans to make some different things happen give Gohan access to something… special…

dbzgtfan2004 - Haha, thank you very much! I will definitely try!

LegendOfTomorrow - I definitely agree, I reached a point in the story a little while back (probably during the Timber's party) where I had to make a decision of letting the characters blow up in emotions (as young teenagers are prone to do) or approach the situation calmly and help the story progress faster. I decided to avoid the emotional tantrums as I've seen that done plenty of times already. I'm hoping to justify it with the notion that these characters have been through a lot for their age or at least are open minded enough to act a little more maturely. Probably just my wishful thinking though. Thank you very much for the feedback! You're definitely right, to hit 120 chapters at my current rate would take about three years. That's an investment, but we'll see what happens.

duskrider - I was hoping it would be. Thank you much!

SteveEst98 - Oh the possibilities! Too many to explore in just one story. Who knows what else this might affect… Thanks for the feedback!

Fayoken - Sorry you're having issues with the site! I'm also sorry things have been rough, I've been there too, and I'm glad my story was able to help! That is really one of the greatest things to hear and it really helped make my day too. I don't want you to cry so I'll try and keep things coming regularly. Thank you so much to you too!

And also thank you to everyone who's reading. I'd love to hear what feedback you can provide, good, bad, comments, and suggestions are welcome!

* * *

**Last time on Dragon Ball Legend:**

A trap was sprung by a group of crooks to defeat Videl Satan. Their hopes to gang up on the girl were thwarted as The Dragon appeared to lend Videl a hand. With a desire to know more about the teenage super hero, Videl clung to The Dragon as he left and demanded to go somewhere they could talk. The two connected on their philosophies and The Dragon encouraged Videl that he saw her as an amazing person. The moment turned tender as the two leaned, ready to share in their first kiss. A strange object falling through the atmosphere signified their moment would not be this day as it threatened to land near Satan City. The pair of heroes investigated the crash site and found an alien AI barely clinging to life through its energy reserves. The Dragon offered to feed it his own energy to sustain it a while longer, but the device got greedy… Within moments the entire area was booming, and the AI revealed itself in actuality to be remnants of The Big Gete Star. Recognizing the threat, The Dragon ordered Videl to leave though she didn't do so without trepidation over leaving the boy to a horrible fate. An evacuation call has been placed to the city and Videl has her friends Sharp and Erasa who have agreed to launch a bid to rescue The Dragon, today on Legend!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Devil Comes Calling**

* * *

Sirens blared through the pre-dawn skies over Satan City as busloads of evacuating citizens made their way to the outskirts of town. The strange growth to the east was towering over the horizon like an ominous mountain making the sky glow as if it were on fire. Helicopters over the area reported vegetation decay for miles around the alien growth and no one was allowed to approach on foot.

A call went out to Mr. Satan to help deal with the situation, but so far there had been no word from the human savior. Everyone hoped that this meant the man who defeated Cell had something big planned to deal with the new threat.

While most people were focused on escaping to the opposite side of town, three shadows used the opportunity to break into Orange Star Middle.

"I think… yes!" Erasa grinned as her magnet tool unlatched the window lock and allowed it to slide open easily.

Videl whistled, "It's a good thing you're one of the good guys."

Erasa winked, "Most of the time anyway."

Sharp climbed in and helped his sister up, "So what are we doing here anyway?"

Erasa led them to the science hall, "I need some of the equipment and projects I've turned in. This way!" The school was dark but Erasa knew her way quite well through the halls of the science wing. They passed through a large set of doors and turned down another hall before coming to a large supply closet.

Videl and Sharp watched anxiously as Erasa pulled out two cases and grabbed random parts from within the closet, adding them to her stockpile.

Videl opened up a case and found Erasa's mechanical bird inside, "What's all this for?"

Erasa powered on her Z-Tablet, "If we're going to find The Dragon, we're going to need a way to track him."

The link between the Z-Tablet and Erasa's devices completed and lights started turning on as they powered up. Sharp watched as the eyes of the bird began to glow from blue LEDs, "Is this stuff really going to help?"

Erasa nodded, "The Dragon receives and emits signals on a radio frequency of 297.3 Megahertz. I can calibrate the Em-Fi tracker to home in on that frequency and it should be able to guide us through that glob mountain and straight towards The Dragon."

"That's great!" Videl cheered, "I just hope that as that thing has been growing and putting up walls that it hasn't turned into some kind of indecipherable labyrinth."

"Well fortunately radio frequencies bounce off of walls," Erasa explained, "So if I've calibrated it correctly, then the tracer should find open routes leading to The Dragon even if they crisscross from one side of the place to another."

"One question," Sharp interjected, "How are we even getting there?"

"That is a good few miles out," Erasa thought, "We don't want to spend that much time on foot."

"Nope," Videl agreed, "We're going to need a ride." Before the others could think of anything, Videl began running down the hall, "Meet me at the front of the school once you've got everything."

No sure what Videl was up to, Sharp just blinked as Videl ran off and took care of holding Erasa's things for her.

"That's it, we're good here," Erasa closed the lid to her case and handed it to her brother.

"What are we waiting for then?!" Sharp made sure he had a secure grip on everything and started running toward the front of the school.

The twins reached the parking lot, but Videl was nowhere in sight, "She said meet her here didn't she?"

Erasa nodded, "Yeah, that's what I heard."

The sound of a big engine starting from around the corner of the building made the two look in that direction. A big yellow school bus came around from the side of the building and plowed through a chain link fence to enter the main parking lot. It stopped with a bit of a jitter in front of Erasa and Sharp who saw Videl in the driver's seat as the door opened.

Erasa noticed a panel under the steering wheel broken open and some wires crossed. She winked at Videl as she boarded, "It's a good thing you're one of the good guys."

Videl nodded, "Most of the time anyway."

Sharp hurriedly climbed aboard as well, "Do I even know you two?!"

"Just hurry up and sit down!" Videl tried to put the bus in gear causing it to lurch forward abruptly almost knocking Sharp off his feet, but then the gear caught and it began moving.

The closer they got to the east side of town, the emptier the streets became as everyone had already evacuated. There were a few abandoned vehicles that made keeping up speed a little tricky, but Videl had no problem shouting, "Hold on!" Before ramming the vehicle off the road. Every so often Videl would have to dodge a few random cars trying to drive through the opposing traffic lanes, "I'll find you and make sure you get ticketed later!" Videl shouted to one particularly close call.

Erasa grinned, "Will that be before or after you turn yourself in for grand theft auto?"

Videl almost growled as she turned the wheel hard, skidding the large bus into an understeer as she forced the wheels to turn faster than they were meant to, "It's not stealing, just a temporary commandeering for police use!"

Another left was coming up and Sharp and Erasa braced themselves as Videl wasn't slowing. She turned in early and applied more power to make the heavy vehicle stay on course.

"Is Videl drifting a school bus?!" Sharp yelled as he clung to his seat.

Buildings were starting to thin out as they approached the outskirts of town. Once the city lights ended it was clear new lights were rising out from the mountainous alien object.

Erasa squinted her eyes as she looked out the window, "Those look like they might be…"

Before any guesses could be made as to the origin of the strange lights, a huge explosion rang out near the top of the Gete Star, "THE HELL?!"

With the light from the explosion dying down, the smaller lights on the Gete Star seemed to change direction and point up. It all became clear that the smaller lights were some kind of defense network that was rapid firing thousands of energy beams into the air.

Sharp looked up in the sky at where the lasers were aimed, "I think I see something up in the sky… Maybe three… no five somethings that are being shot at. They're really small though."

Sharp's eyes widened as one of the dots in the sky began to glow and a huge light expelled from it, "THERE GOES ANO…!" The light impacted the Gete Star and another explosion rang out over the area causing the ground to shake this time.

Videl tried to keep the bus pointed straight, "Geez, what is going on?!"

Erasa kept her eyes squinted trying to see what was happening above them. As the light from the explosion faded she was able to make out some other glow in the sky, "...Shields…"

Videl continued driving the bus forward at full speed, the base of the growth was coming up fast.

"Videl! STOP!" Erasa shouted causing Videl to slam on the brakes. The bus skid into a slide. Sharp and Erasa held onto their seats as the momentum kept pulling them forward. With nearly thirty meters of distance to any physical wall, a bright light flashed and the bus came to an immediate crushing stop. Erasa's grip on her seat wasn't good enough as she flew forward in the cabin.

Videl pushed herself up from where she had hit the steering wheel and noticed Erasa on the ground beside her, "Erasa! Are you alright?"

Erasa groaned and shook her head, "I'm fine."

Sharp crawled out from behind the seats, "I'm alright too in case anyone was wondering."

Videl nodded to Sharp, thankful despite his sarcasm, "What happened?"

"I saw it at the last second," Erasa started. "Something in the sky is attacking this thing, but those explosions weren't hitting it. They're being blocked by some kind of energy shield. I figured we needed to stop since I couldn't judge how far out it extended."

The knob to open the door had broken so Videl simply kicked the door off the bus, "Good thing you called it or we would have smashed into it a lot harder."

Another three explosions sounded off in the sky in quick succession, and the sound of laser fire from the Gete Star was almost constant. Sharp jumped off the bus and tried to focus on what was happening in the sky, "I can't tell what those things are that are on the attack right now. They're too small to be jet fighters, but they're maneuvering like nothing I've seen before. I can barely keep up with how they're flying."

"Catch!" Erasa threw one of her cases at Sharp as she stepped off the bus, "Whatever they are we should be thankful they've got the defenses all focused on them right now."

Videl took a look at the front of the bus where it was crushed up against the energy barrier. It emitted a soft glow where the bus was making contact, "So what do we do about this? Is it safe to touch? Can we get through?"

"Just a sec," Erasa loaded an app on her Z-Tab and started analyzing energy patterns, "I can tell you that… this is pretty concentrated stuff, I've never see energy output like this before… There's an electromagnetic field that is so intense the air particles surrounding it are ionizing into a plasma. Definitely not safe to touch. Shields like this are meant to keep out something big…"

Another explosion went off in the air. Erasa's eyes widened as she looked over her data, "Oh wait a minute…"

"Did you find something?" Sharp looked over her shoulder trying to see the tablet.

"Maybe…" Erasa shook her head as she looked over the current readouts, "Whatever those things up in the air are, I need them to hit the shields with another blast to know for sure."

"Sure…" Sharp looked to the sky again, "Let me just… you know… ask them…"

The next explosion came only a moment later, hitting hard enough to blow strong gusts of wind past the teens. "That's it!" Erasa cheered, "Whenever it's hit by one of those explosions power is being diverted away from other areas to reinforce the shields on the side taking the hit. I think it's possible that we can emit a harmodulizing frequency on a side that's weakened from from the energy drain after an attack and that might open a door for us!"

"Harmodu-whats-its?" Sharp looked lost.

Erasa shook her head, "If you match same frequencies of equal power and focus them towards each other they will cancel each other out."

Videl pulled the rest of the equipment from the bus, "Can you do that?"

"My Z-Tab can definitely mimic these frequencies, though with such little power it won't be a big opening," Erasa thought, "And it's compensating pretty quick, the bigger the explosion the more time we'd have to get through, otherwise we have maybe a second to all jump across without getting electrocuted."

"Where do we want to do this?" Sharp asked as he picked up Erasa's case so she could concentrate on the tablet.

"This way!" Erasa tried to quicken her step as she led them further away from where the explosions were hitting. "The closer we can get to the opposite end of where the attack is happening the easier time we should have breaking in."

Once across, light from the explosions could only be seen as bright glows flowing from over the horizon. "Now we just need an explosion big enough," Sharp tensed up as he prepared to dash in with all their gear.

"You guys…" Videl put a halt to everything for a moment, "This is already looking like much more danger than I ever meant to put you through in helping me. I appreciate everything you want to do, but there's no reason for you guys to have to deal with alien shield technology and thousands of turret guns. Once we open this thing up, I can go the rest of this alone."

Erasa and Sharp looked at each other for a moment, then back at Videl, and then they both started laughing. The way they held their twin syncros was almost creepy to Videl sometimes. Sharp grinned, "Like we're gonna let you go off into something like this _alone_?"

Erasa nodded in agreement, "Fighting crime doesn't exactly prepare you for fighting aliens, we might be in over our heads, but at least we're in it together."

"We've been by your side since the beginning Videl, and we're not about to wuss out now," Sharp kept a brave face on, "If Gohan were here I'm sure he'd be saying the same thing too."

"Gohan…" Videl frowned.

"Lucky guy," Sharp smirked, "It's probably so quiet where he lives that he's sleeping through all this like a baby. The next time we see him we'll have another story to tell while he mopes about how he lives too far away to see any of the exciting stuff."

Another explosion hit the shields, but Erasa shook her head, "Not good enough, we need something bigger than that."

Sharp peered up at the sky, "Hey guys, I think there's a sixth thing up there now, and this one just started glowing a bright gold."

Over the sound of laser fire, the three teens could just barely make out what sounded like a faint echoing shout coming from that direction, "Big Bang…"

Sharp squinted, "Now that gold one is getting a lot bright…"

"ATTACK!" The light collided with the shields of the Gete Star and a shockwave tore through the area. The explosion was deafening, the light the brightest yet. The ground on that side of the Gete Star burst open and the air filled with smoke, dust, and dead plant life. There was so much shaking, the group of teens were sure they weren't going to be able to stay on their feet.

"That's it!" Erasa shouted over the noise, "Countering the energy frequency now!" An area of the shields in front of them began to glow and then fade, leaving only a glowing outline like space where they could fit through, "Go, hurry!"

The three ran inside and immediately things were much calmer. The salvo of laser fire could still be heard, but the explosions hitting the barrier were little more than dull thuds.

"Was that a friggin nuke they fired at this thing?" Sharp asked loudly as his hearing returned.

"I don't think so," Erasa shook her head as well, "But it was definitely powerful."

Videl nodded in agreement, "If that wasn't able to crack this thing's shields I'm not sure there's anything on this planet that can."

"OK, well, priorities," Erasa returned to analyzing data on her tablet, "We need to find The Dragon, and hopefully find a way to shut the shields off to this thing while we're inside. Maybe then some of those bombs will start working."

"Right," Sharp looked around the smooth surface of the alien growth, "So now that we're inside the shield, how do we get inside _it_?"

Erasa opened up the case with her hummingbird and finished its boot up process, "The Em-Fi detector should be able to pinpoint a good path to The Dragon without going through walls." The bird tweeted as it fully activated and began to fly. "Just don't lose sight of it!"

"Got it," Sharp took off running behind it with the girls close behind him. The bird seemed to be flying all the way around the base of the giant structure, "Are you sure this thing is working?"

"It could have a very hard time if the signal is weak," Erasa admitted.

The bird chirped energetically as it flew up higher "There!" Videl dashed in front and tried climbing up the smooth wall. It was hard to get a grip on the strange surface, but there was enough of a curve to it that she was able to hoist herself up.

Sharp followed close behind Videl, and once they were up they both helped Erasa climb with her tablet. She checked the screen and resumed the program on the signal bird, "Through that vent hatch thing!"

"Is that the scientific term for it?" Sharp joked as he ducked down to crawl through.

The duct was dark and narrow for about twenty meters but then an opening came into view. Videl was the first to stick her head out and check the area. Nothing was nearby so she waved for her friends to follow.

The area that the three found themselves in was huge. Though dimly lit, there was enough light evenly spaced throughout the area to tell it was some kind of factory. They were on a causeway that overlooked the production floor, and a lot of mechanized components and robot arms were busy toiling away at building hulking one eyed robots.

Attempting to be stealthy with their movements, the three teens quietly made their way across ramps and catwalks, following their bird across the large space. On the other side of the production floor was an area where all of the completed products were gathering.

Sharp's eyes widened at the lines of what looked like thousands of battle robots, "What is going on with all these robots?"

Erasa looked worried as she hushed her brother, "If I had to guess, I'd say it's an invasion force that's prepping to get underway."

Videl clenched her fist, "We've got to bring this whole place down and fast!"

The mechanical bird leading the group found a door out of the factory and started flying through a series of hallways and corridors. Most were dimly lit by soft blue and orange luminescence panels spaced out every few meters.

It was becoming monotonous how far these corridors were going on for. Without a change of scenery for a while, the teens were starting to hurry faster, and with less consideration to the amount of noise their steps made.

A door opened beside the three as they ran by causing them to jump back with a start, "*Beep* Life forms detected!" A small bronze robot glided out from the door, "Welcome to the Big Gete Star, I will be your Guide Robo!"

All three teens looked to each other out of confusion, none of them were expecting to be greeted with enthusiasm after being caught, "Our facilities are not yet prepared to process prime lifeforms, however if you'll please follow me, I can show you where you all can wait for processing to begin."

The Guide Robo began hovering through the hallway. It was moving in the same direction the bird wanted to fly in so the group shrugged at each other and followed behind the robot.

"Mr. Guide Robo," Erasa tried to ask as she caught up to it, "What can you tell me about this… Big Gete Star?"

The light on the Guide Robo blinked a few times as if it were processing data, "The Big Gete Star was first launched three thousand five hundred and twenty seven earth years ago. The primary mission of the Gete Star was to acquire life data. By cataloging bio patterns encountered from across the galaxy, the data could aid in the development of artificial evolution."

Erasa's eyes widened, "Artificial evolution sounds dangerous, who was trying to do that?"

The Guide Robo stopped for a moment to process more data. It looked up at Erasa, "That information has been lost." The robo then continued forward as if nothing was wrong.

Videl caught up next, "Guide Robo, since we're talking and all, how is it that you collect bio data from races across the galaxy?"

"A multitude of methodologies," The Guide Robo looked at Videl but continued moving forward, "Most data collection requires the extraction of as many sources of DNA as possible. For the sake of biodiversity The Big Gete Star attempts to process biosamples from as many members of a species as possible."

Sharp had a bad feeling before he asked, "How does The Big Gete Star collect these biosamples?"

Without hesitation the Guide Robo explained, "The processing of prime lifeforms involves the extraction and separation of biomatter so it can be categorized by cellular structure type."

Sharp gulped before almost needlessly asking, "How much biomatter is extracted from each prime lifeform?"

"All of it!" The Guide Robo stopped and turned around, "There is no need to worry over waste however. Whatever life energy would otherwise be lost during the dismembering process of prime lifeforms is captured for fuel to continue the growth, function, and mission of The Big Gete Star."

Sharp took a step back, "Dismembering process?"

"Fuel?" Erasa equally blanched at the notion.

"That's not gonna happen," Videl assumed a defensive stance.

The Guide Robo angled its head as it looked over the group, "Prime lifeforms can be so finicky, you have already been assured that none of your energy potential will be wasted, but you are still not happy. Oh well, perhaps we will understand you better after a full molecular disassembly."

"Not today," Videl dashed forward a few steps and kicked the robot. It rolled down the hallways making metal clinks as it hit the wall and bounced off the floor.

The Guide Robo pushed itself back to an upright position, "I see, defense fields are currently all being rerouted to deter external threats. No matter, a minimal upgrade should suffice the current situation." The hovering engine on the bottom of the robot gave out and it contacted the floor.

The teens watched curiously as the ground under the robot rippled similarly to the surface of water. The Guide Robo began to rise as extra material was pulled from the floor with it on its assent to a taller stature.

"Ummm…" Sharp mumbled as the Guide Robo reached at least seven feet tall, and its body and limbs became reinforced by a much heavier looking bone metal.

"GO!" Videl and the others ducked around, and ran past the robot, ducking through the side halls.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Erasa tried recalculating the route of the signal she had been tracing earlier.

"No choice, keep running!" Videl ordered.

No one looked behind them as they could hear the loud clanging footsteps gaining on them. They echoed through the hallways and got louder and louder. Sharp could practically feel a hand reaching out for him as he brought up the rear.

After another turn the group ended up in a much larger room. With one last loud clang, the chasing footsteps stopped. Sharp finally risked a look over his shoulder but there was nothing there, "Where'd it go?!"

The girls stopped and looked as well. There was a slight displacement of air that caused Videl to look up, "Up there!"

The Guide Robo came crashing down in front of the group after taking a great leap over them and cut off their path, "Your resistance should cease now, you cannot understand the greater good of our processes if you keep running away from it."

Videl yelled as she charged the robot and landed a solid punch to its core. The metal rang out like a bell in the large room, but the robot hardly budged. Sharp ran in next, he swung around to swipe with a back kick towards the robot's side. Again there was a metal clang, but not much else. The robot reached down and grabbed Sharp's foot and easily lifted him off the ground by his ankle, "Whoa! Put me down!" Sharp tried punching at the robot from his hanging position.

A hand covered the robots only eye camera as Videl managed to climb up on its back. The robot stumbled backwards trying to reach for Videl. It slammed Sharp onto the ground and tried to reach back again. Sharp laid on the ground for a moment staring at the ceiling with wide eyes, "Owww…" He didn't let it phase him for long though as he pushed himself back up and returned to Videl's aid.

The Guide Robo kept taking steps backward as it reached behind it with its right arm, then the left. Each time a hand would get close, Videl would angle her body away from it to keep from getting caught and pulled off.

"Videl! Get off that thing!" Sharp tried to yell as it stumbled and collided with a wall, pinning Videl under its bone metallic body.

Videl let out a scream as she was crushed under the weight. Sharp jumped at the wall and used the leverage of his body to pry the robot off her and give it a strong forward push sending it falling in the other direction, "Are you okay?"

Videl nodded, "I'm fine!" The robot pushed itself back to its feet and faced the two. "We need to coordinate, I'll go high, you go low!"

"Right!" Sharp and Videl both ran at the robot. It swung at them and they split in different directions. Videl immediately hopped back into its direct view and jumped at the Guide Robo with an uppercut to its head at the same time Sharp rolled in from behind and kicked at the back of its knee joints. The robot fell backward and landed hard on its back making the room ring out in a loud clang.

"Keep it down!" Videl grabbed onto the robot's right arm to try and keep it pinned while Sharp grabbed the left. It was hard to hold it still, Sharp felt like he was lifting an entire weight machine trying to keep it from stabilizing itself.

The robot pulled a little harder, but the two clenched their teeth and held on. "Now what?" Sharp managed to strain out.

The ground under the robot began to ripple again. Sharp and Videl were too focused on what they were doing to notice the robot's arms suddenly became even bigger in their grasps. It easily flung Videl off its right arm, then rolled over and punched Sharp in the face before he could get out of the way.

Sharp sat up and clutched his head, he felt like someone had just broken a baseball bat over his face. "MOVE!" He barely looked up when he noticed something that looked like a gun extend out from the robot's arm. Videl ran through and hoisted him up by his arm as it started firing and the two ran across the room with a trail of bullets just behind them.

The robot halted its fire as it repositioned itself in front of the two teens. A second gun extended from its other arm and then trained a gun on Videl and the other on Sharp. The two looked at each other and around, not sure how much longer they could keep the chase up, "There is no need to become troubled or emotional, your existence will soon be integrated into a much higher form of con...scious...ne...ss…" The light on the robot's eye slowly faded. It continued to stand like a statue for a moment.

"Ummm?" Sharp gulped as he took a step out of the direct line of fire of the robot's guns.

"*BEEP!*" the light turned back on causing Sharp and Videl to jump back with a start, "Welcome to The Big Gete Star! I will be your Guide Robo!" It looked from Videl to Sharp, "Visual recognition has identified you two as part of my new master-user subroutines."

"Huh?" Videl blinked while trying to comprehend the robot's new even weirder behavior.

Erasa ran over while holding her Z-Tab. The robot looked at her, "Identified ultra-user, the one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail!"

Erasa made a peace sign with her hand while smiling to her friends, "Thanks for keeping it busy, I was able to break into its communication nerve with a packet injection, disconnect it from the main Gete network, and enter a few new command lines into its core processes."

Videl smiled, "Erasa, you amaze me sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" she grinned. "Anyway, Guide Robo!"

The robot turned to her, "Yes The one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail!"

"I suppose I shouldn't have entered all that as a string in only one field…" Erasa thought, "We need to find someone who was brought here, what can you tell us about The Dragon?"

The robot's eye blinked on and off rapidly as it processed the question, "There was no record of encounter with any draconoid life forms as of my last sync with the primary database."

"Well… I suppose that settles it that he's not a _real_ dragon…" Erasa hummed.

Videl stepped closer to the robot, "He was the first lifeform encountered by the Gete Star when it crashed here on earth. He offered the Gete Star help and it started draining all his energy."

The processing light on the robot flashed again, "You must be referring to the great battery!"

"The what?!" All three teens shouted.

"The great battery," The robot explained, "Approached the Gete Star during a time of need and offered itself to the rejuvenation of the Gete Star's mission."

"That's not what happened!" Videl shouted angrily. "The Gete Star was dying, The Dragon wanted to save its life, if that's what you can call it, but nowhere did he imply he was sacrificing himself or the world to some crazy alien mission!"

The robot explained further, "After revitalizing the Gete Star's systems, it rewarded the great battery by incorporating it into the body of the Gete Star and providing a new greater purpose for the lifeform."

Videl's fist shook, and she looked as though she were about to punch the robot again, "Is the Gete Star really such a hypocrite? I saw it fearing for its own existence, but it really cares so little for the existence of others?!"

The robot's head tilted to the side, "You misunderstand, The Gete Star cares very much for the existence of all lifeforms. This is why it incorporates them into itself to preserve their data infinitely longer than they would last on their own, extending their potential and giving them greater purpose."

"That's not potential or purpose!" Videl was furious, "You have no idea! Every being has a purpose, every life has incredible potential! How can it reach that potential while disassembled and sitting in an alien memory bank as data?!"

Erasa interrupted them, "What has been done with this great battery? Is he still… in one piece?"

The robot nodded, "As of last contact, The Big Gete Star was incapable of replicating a power source to match or improve upon the energy output of the great battery. However the power output from the great battery has been diminishing. A great power force was detected within the great battery, but attempts at extracting this force had yielded no success. The Big Gete Star would consider dissection and digestion once the great battery's power yield drops below that of constructible sources."

"We need to get to him fast!" Videl looked around anxiously, "Guide Robo, we need you to take us to him as quickly as possible!"

"Acknowledged," The robot turned and began quickly marching out towards the corridor. The teens nodded to each other and ran after it.

The Guide Robo was still able to open other interior doors and led them up several flights of stairs and strange walkways.

They passed through another large room which had some kind of chamber with a lot of tubes and wires hanging in disarray throughout the room.

Erasa looked around curiously, "What is this room used for."

Guide Robo didn't stop as it answered, "This room remained in an archival blueprint from a previous configuration of The Big Gete Star. Its purpose appears to be used for bio interface to allow carbon based processing units to access the Gete Star System."

"Carbon based processing units?" Sharp thought outloud.

"He means living brains," Erasa clarified. "An organic brain can plug into their synthetic systems here."

Sharp shivered but kept running.

A few more corridors further they all felt a quake rumble through the ground. The Guide Robo stopped for a second. "Is everything alright?" Erasa asked.

"Unknown," the robot replied before it began marching forward again. it made a turn around another bend and came to a split in the corridor, "The configuration of The Big Gete Star has updated, the maps contained in my archive are no longer valid."

"Thank you for bringing us this far," Erasa pulled out her Z-Tab and reactivated the signal bird, "Hopefully we're not too far now."

"According to the previous layout plan," The robot's light flashed for a moment, "We were within one hundred meters of the great battery."

"Good, then let's keep going!" Videl charged behind the signal bird as it chose the fork leading to the left.

The three teens followed by their Guide Robo ran as fast as they could through room after room. A door opened ahead of them and a new small Guide Robo glided out, "*Beep* Welcome to The Big Gete Star! I will be your Guide Robo!"

Erasa pointed at the small robot, "Destroy it!"

The larger Guide Robo ran out in front of the group, grabbed the small robot by its arms and ripped it in half. All of the lights in the room changed to a red color and began pulsating from dim to bright.

"What's going on now?" Sharp groaned as he tried to see if anything else was coming.

The large Guide Robo turned to Sharp, "By destroying a Guide Robo, the system will now view us as a threat and activate the immune response system and release cleansing agents."

"I don't like the sound of these cleansing agents," Videl quipped.

A vent opened as they ran by and dozens of tiny four legged robots began crawling out, sticking to the wall as they chased after the four. Lasers guns extended from their backs and they took aim.

"I don't like the looks of them either!" Sharp hurriedly turned another corner as they opened fire.

The large Guide Robot turned and planted itself and began to open fire on the cleansing units that came around the corner. The small four legged robots didn't take too many hits to be destroyed, but there were many of them. Their lasers were also obviously penetrating the Guide Robo's armor.

"Don't just stand there!" Erasa called back at the robot, "Keep running or they're going to blast you away!"

The Guide Robo nodded and turned its lower body while leaving its upper body pointing backward so it could continue shooting at the approaching defense bots.

Ahead, the signal bird started circling in front of a door while chirping. The group approached the door and started pressing buttons on the panel near it, but nothing happened, "We're going to have to force the door open!" Videl grabbed at the edge of the door and started pulling from one angle while Sharp grabbed the other.

Erasa sat behind the Guide Robo and tried hacking the door, "They're compensating more for my system intrusions. The firewall on this thing is changing access ports in some kind of algorithmic fashion."

The Guide Robo continued to unload its guns on the approaching cleansings agents, "Ammunition levels below ten percent." The small defense robots were exploding as they approached, but there were still a great many of them.

A laser shot from one of the approaching robots pierced the Guide Robo's shoulder, causing the arm to go limp.

Erasa's yelped worriedly, "Are you alright?!"

"Transferring remaining ammunition to usable weapon to compensate," It didn't stop in its attempts to defend the three teens, "I am fine, thank you for asking."

The laser fire caused a panel behind the group to explode. Sharp and Videl shielded themselves from the debris that was kicked up.

"This is crazy!" Videl growled as the door refused to budge.

Some of the cleansing bots made it through the guard robo's line of fire and started climbing up its body. The door wasn't going to budge by hand, so Sharp and Videl each grabbed a broken support bar that had blown out from the panel behind them. The each took a side around their Guide Robo and swung at the clinging bots with their bat like weapons to get them off of the only thing protecting them.

"I think…" Erasa strained her brain to focus on her tablet despite the clangs and explosions around her, "I might have hacked a back door into the system… and if that's the case…" A few more keystrokes on her tablet and the door finally slid open, "Got it! Alright move!" Videl checked first to verify the room was clear of threats before Erasa followed in behind her.

Sharp was almost yelling with each swing as he and the Guide Robot stepped back into the room. The Guide Robo would carefully shoot at approaching robot threats, while Sharp swung at the ground in an attempt to crush any little robot that got too close.

Once they were all inside, Erasa brushed her hand against her tablet screen and forced the door to close, locking the small robots outside. The clangs of their small clinging claws on the door were disturbing, but it didn't look as though they could break through.

The room was large and bright. A raised platform was situated in the middle of the room where at the very top The Dragon was held taught by glowing cuffs around his ankles, wrists, and neck, still draining off his energy.

"He doesn't look good," Sharp mentioned as they approached.

"We need to get him off of that thing, now!" Videl looked around for a way up to the platform.

Erasa patted the guard robo, "Can you help one more time?"

The guard robo nodded, "It should be possible." It pointed its good arm in The Dragon's direction and fired five bullets. One hit each of the five tubes holding The Dragon in place and allowed him to fall to the platform base.

The lights immediately dimmed in the room, leaving only red luminescence panels near the base of the room. The Dragon fell forward and his body hit the floor in a limp heap. Contact with the ground caused his helmet to bounce and roll off from his head to the edge of the platform and then it fell, bouncing a few times on the ground below before coming to rest near MASK's feet.

The platform was lowering slowly to the ground as Videl picked up the helmet. She gulped and handed it to Sharp. It was heavy, the real deal no doubt. All three teens were almost too scared to look as the platform reached eye level, but they all knew that they had to.

Taking a deep breath Sharp finally looked over at the boy descending in front of him. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open as his brain almost rejected the image of the unconscious face in front of him as real, "There's no way! Is that… GOHAN?!"

* * *

**End Chapter**

This is it, the cat is out of the bag and there's no denying it now. I hope the adventures of Videl and her friends as they struggled against a superior foe and reprogrammed an unlikely ally in the Guide Robo was entertaining. It's hard to strike the right level of exaggeration with DBZ sometimes. I wrote the bus scene and started thinking to myself… just who are these kids that they're going out during an evacuation, stealing a bus, and driving off to save an ally. Then I realized we're in the DBZ universe and I may actually be downplaying their action too much.

My favorite type of villain has always been the villain who believes they're the good guy, so something like The Big Gete Star struck me as the type of organism that from its perspective it's doing the most good. It's a challenge to get that across using a disconnected Guide Robo as the only voice of the Gete Star, but I've got some ideas I need to try out for the next chapter.

Thanks for reading, and please remember to hit me up on Twitter, Tumblr, GooglePlus, and please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

'Til next time!


	12. Springing a Death Trap

Welcome back to another installment of Dragon Ball Legend! This week means we're officially an entire month into regular updates! Unfortunately I can't make any promises for next week. Family stuff is going on but we'll try not to stress and dwell on it.

So first, the review replies and thank you shout outs!

dcp1992 - I'm really glad the interaction between Videl and the twins is working out! I hope they keep being enjoyable characters, they're gonna be around for a while!

CrimsonWild - So glad to hear you're enjoying things! Definitely hope that continues!

anonymous - So much explaining to do. And very good questions by the way. Hopefully they get answered in the chapter today. If things still seem confusing afterwards please let me know, I think I'm good with filling in gaps with the right details, but I'm sure I miss a few. Thanks a bunch!

Engineer of Epicness - Wow, what a name! Not to worry at all about stealing The Dragon. Maybe that can become a big fan thing someday lol! I really want to get someone who's better at art than I am to draw the full Dragon suit. If no one eventually offers I may end up commissioning some artists. Keep an eye out for that!

pir84lyf - You better believe it!

Gumi-Fishy - Thank you so much! I prefer having a solid story to back up my relationships, and it's so good to hear when people like it. I've taken a few science courses, so I know a little bit about some of the things I blab on about, but really most of it is pseudoscience and techno babble from watching lots of SciFi. And the Gete Star is definitely still baby sized compared to the movie. But it's still growing too!

Ern Estine 13624 - Cool deal! Thanks!

windblade8 - A story can't be all about just one person right? Where would The Doctor be without his companions? Where would Superman be without The Justice League? I think it's important to be able to see the main character through the eyes of the people around him, and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying them. There is definitely some robo whooping to come. Thanks a bunch!

Gohan SSJ2 Mystic - Haha! Oh I can't wait for more confrontation over Gohan and The Dragon either! Thank you very much for the compliments, I know there's a lot of plausibility in the alien tech working the way it did, but I had to take some creative liberties with this being DBZ and all. Thank you much for the compliments, I'm glad it all worked out!

EnixFairy - Sweet! How many chapters? DAZE is probably going to be somewhere around thirty chapters. But overall Legend could very well reach about 120 chapters. There are definitely plans for more villains, but I suppose we should deal with the here and now first lol! Hope you had a lot of fun at the beach!

thewittywhy - Thank you very much! I love awesomesauce, it's great to hear such a compliment. I very much hope the story continues this trend for you!

UltimateGohan42 - I know riiight?!

FeCr - Once again, it is so cool of you to say that. I'm still growing, trying to get better all the time, and there are a lot of things I do and write that I'm not happy with; to me it's about building a fantasy world to escape to and I love it that I can use words to bring others with me to these places. Technobabble is an interesting field to get into, having to know enough about something to make it seem plausible while still feeling extraordinary is something I always admired about Star Trek. I'm such a geeky dork lol. And be careful roaming around my profile lol, there are some scary things in there… Thank you so much for the amazing compliments!

EmeraldoftheStars - I'm quite fond of Erasa being the group genius myself. It just feels like it completes a group dynamic. The potential of The Big Gete Star was something I felt was left a bit unexplored before, and I don't see it used too often except when dealing with more Cooler and Frieza. I'm glad to be able to bring something out that seems unique so far. I'm glad you're enjoying things!

Fayoken - Hold on… I'm getting a call… Hello?... Yup there it is! Yeah it was definitely interesting trying to come up with a fight scene in DBZ story that was actually kind of… normal? If three teenage kids fighting a big alien robot can be considered normal by any means… Glad I haven't made you cry yet!

wheathermangohanssj4 - Sweet! Glad it's proving interesting! It is a stretch to have a teenager who can do these things, I agree. It would definitely never happen in the real world. Why not have Bulma just do this instead? Well at this point in the story it's not even that she's too old, just that she's not there. I don't see why Gohan couldn't have had a supporting cast that retained the dynamic of the Z-Fighters with a new generation. It worked in Digimon, Yugioh, Pokemon SPE, Zoids, .hack. The old characters still come in and kick major ass, but the main focus of the show turns to a new cast. I definitely have no intention of the Z-Fighters and Bulma never being seen again. In fact…

Generic Username - Wow, thank you so much! That's an amazing compliment! I definitely intend for there to be some emotional drama in the story, but I think that's part of character development and shouldn't be a permanent trait. People eventually have to face their demons, grow up, and move on. I intend to showcase Gohan's journey through that process. So I have lots of plans to keep this going, I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far!

And usual, a HUGE thanks to everyone who's reading. DAZE is almost up to 200 Favs, and nearly 300 follows. I'm just blown away to have you guys reading along with my story. It means a lot to me really!

* * *

**Last time on Dragon Ball Legend**

Videl and her friends broke into their school to acquire the equipment Erasa felt they would need to launch a successful rescue attempt to save The Dragon. After stealing a school bus, the trio nearly rammed into a defence shield which was protecting The Big Gete Star from an onslaught of energy blasts from flying attackers. Erasa used the attack to their advantage and found a way to bypass the shields and make it inside. Once inside the group encountered a Guide Robo who revealed some information about The Big Gete Star and then attempted to drag the teens to the dismembering station. Sharp and Videl put up a valiant fight against the robot, but after a second upgrade it proved to be too much for the two humans to handle. Fortunately they held it off long enough for Erasa to work her magic once again and reprogram the robot to join them. The group made it to the room where "The Great Battery" was being held and cut him loose. As The Dragon fell from the elevated position, his helmet rolled off of his head, revealing to everyone at last the true identity of The Dragon, "GOHAN?!"

* * *

**Chapter 12: Springing a Death Trap**

* * *

The night was calm, much like any other night. High, high in the sky, the monolithic floating structure of Kami's Lookout was dark with no activity out of the norm. Dende stood in near the center of the temple grounds with his eyes closed, meditating with his thoughts focused on the earth as Piccolo had taught him.

In his mind, Dende saw peace. There were minor scuffles across the planet for sure, but the world was currently free of any major disasters. He smiled as it made his job much easier. Most of the time Dende didn't get himself in matters that weren't world endangering, but from time to time he'd toss a blast like a lightning bolt from the lookout to break up a human mess. Even that was uncalled for though as this evening the scuffle that caught his attention ended up having a particular Dragon intervene.

"I should have known…" Dende smiled as he watched Gohan as The Dragon pummel through a large group of thugs who intended to hurt the girl he knew Gohan had been spending time with lately.

It was all over quickly and Dende returned his focus to looking for trouble elsewhere when he was struck by a vision. It was hot, something was burning, and falling. The small god felt a panic building within him as he watched the earth from afar whither and die. His eyes snapped wide open, "What?!"

Dende looked around and stretched his senses out across the planet, but felt nothing out of place, "That's odd…" He stepped closer to the edge of the lookout so he could see all around the planet. There was nothing to indicate anything was amiss. It still seemed like a peaceful night.

The vision was about to be dismissed when a boom followed by a high pitched scream like whistling sound reached Dende's sensitive ears. From the sky behind him an object was falling. Dende covered his ears as he watched the glowing debris fall towards the surface of the earth.

"What is that thing?" Dende was almost startled by Piccolo's presence behind him.

"I'm not sure," Dende shook his head, "I don't sense any lifeforms so it's not some kind of alien pod. It's too small to do any major damage to the earth, but…"

Piccolo eyed Dende, knowing there was more, "Go ahead Dende, what do you feel?"

Dende shook his head, "Right before it entered the atmosphere I had a vision. There was something burning, and then the earth died…"

Piccolo closed his eyes; a god's visions were not to be taken lightly, so he knew this meant trouble, "Wait here, I'll go investigate where it hit."

Dende ran to the edge and pointed to the ground below, "Gohan is already there! He's… talking to it…"

Piccolo joined Dende at the edge and watched as well. The power to peer across all the earth from the lookout having been an ability he retained from Kami, Piccolo watched the interaction between Gohan and the strange fallen computer with great interest.

It was hard to tell what was going through Gohan's head through the mask he wore as the boy tried to help the synthetic visitor. Gohan's power spiked and then it began draining.

"Something's wrong!" Piccolo shouted as Gohan weakened. From around Gohan, walls began to shoot out from the ground and encased the two inside a structure. The girl Gohan was with escaped, but very quickly the walls grew wider and taller.

"Oh no, Gohan!" Dende shouted as his energy faded to almost nothing, the drain on his body created some kind of interference which blocked him from their senses. The alien computer began consuming more than just Gohan, withering all the plants nearby as if it were sucking life straight out from the ground. The energy it collected allowed it's growth to continue at an exponential rate. "We have to go help him!"

Piccolo growled lowly as he began to power up, "I'll go, you stay here. I'll bring Gohan back as soon as I have him."

"But…" Piccolo's gaze told him there was no arguing with him. Dende looked down slightly dejected but nodded, "Alright, but please be careful Piccolo."

A white aura built up around Piccolo as he flew from the lookout and made a straight line towards Satan City.

It took only moments for Piccolo to arrive at the crash site. With Gohan in potential danger Piccolo wasted no time and charged down at the metallic blob. With energy gathered in his fist he punched at the growing wall. His hand punched through the surface, but it didn't break. It was almost like punching a wall of jello. Suddenly the energy Piccolo had built up in his hand began to drain and then he felt the drain spread through the rest of his body as he tried to pull his arm free of the structure.

Piccolo growled loudly as he pulled as hard as he could but continued to grow weaker.

"What the!" Piccolo grunted through closed teeth, surprised by how quickly his energy was being drained through his trapped arm. It reminded him of the time Android 20 had him in his grasp. If he had lost this much energy already it was little wonder to him that Gohan hadn't the chance to retaliate, "Gohan… he's in trouble, you've gotta get out of this!" Energy gathered in Piccolo's free hand which he then pointed at the area around his arm, "EXPLOSIVE WAVE!" A flash of light filled the sky, but Piccolo's arm didn't break free. He saw that he had managed to create a small gap, but it closed itself off quickly.

"Well crap…" Piccolo heaved trying to make sure that nothing else of his person came into contact with the wall. The bone like metal continued to expand, but Piccolo kept pulling outward to keep from getting trapped within it. He had to concentrate hard on his energy to not allow it to be syphoned off into the leaching titan.

"Oh no, Piccolo!" Dende focused and concentrated elsewhere, across the ocean towards a small island, "PLEASE, WE NEED HELP!"

"What the?!" Krillin fell from his hammock as the mental shout crossed through his mind. Yamcha and Master Roshi were immediately awake as well.

"I'm sorry, but this is Dende." Everyone knew something was terribly wrong by the panicked inflection in Dende's mental voice, "Gohan and Piccolo need your help, please!"

Krillin and Yamcha grabbed their fighting gis before they ran out of Kame House into the night. They looked up into the sky, feeling something that shouldn't have been possible considering what they knew about their friends, "Is that?"

Master Roshi stepped out behind them, "That's definitely Piccolo's power… it's dropping fast…"

Krillin's mouth fell open, "What could be doing that to him?"

"I don't know, but you feel what else is wrong don't you?" Master Roshi inquired seriously.

"What else is wrong?" Yancha tried feeling for other powers but couldn't find anything, "I can't feel what's attacking him, like an android?"

"And I can't sense Gohan!" Krillin shouted as he realized what Master Roshi was implying, "I gotta go help!" Without wasting time, Krillin powered up and took off into the sky.

"I'm right behind you!" Yamcha blasted off as well.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Master Roshi sat next to Turtle as they watched the light from the two students auras fade into the distance.

Piccolo continued to struggle to free his arm. The grip on it was trying to pull him further in and it was taking more and more to keep from succumbing to its force. The energy drain appeared to be syphoning energy from his entire body evenly unlike the time Cell had siphoned and withered away the same arm.

"Piccolo!" The namek wouldn't have admitted that he was relieved to hear Krillin's voice, but he was glad to have backup, "What the hell is this thing?! It kinda looks familiar."

"We'll worry about that in a second Krillin!" Piccolo turned angrily towards the humans, "First I need you to cut off my arm!"

"Wait! Are you sure?!" Krillin backed off looking a little panicked.

"YES! Now do it!" Piccolo demanded.

Krillin knew Piccolo could grow new limbs, but it felt wrong to hurt one of his friends like that. He knew time was short as Piccolo's energy was still dropping, "Destructo Disk!" Krillin threw the disk vertically at the space between Piccolo and the wall his arm was caught in. The destructo disk cleaved cleanly through Piccolo's flesh and bone, separating him from his near capture.

"AHHHH!" Piccolo yelled before clenching his teeth tightly and getting his breathing under control. His purple blood dripped from the stump where his arm used to be connected. The arm in question was pulled completely inside of the growing structure.

Piccolo floated away from the wall and grunted in concentration. Dark energy swirled around his limb and his muscles pulsed. Quite suddenly a new arm grew in place of the old one. He flexed the muscles a bit testing that everything was well.

"You okay now Piccolo?" Yamcha gulped, he still wasn't used to seeing such a sight as a limb regrowing.

"I'm fine, now we need to get inside!" Piccolo barked. His new arm began to grow as energy made its way down from within his body to his hand and he released another large blast of energy at the wall.

Once the smoke cleared it was obvious Piccolo's attack had no effect at all.

"You're still weak Piccolo," Krillin tried to reason with the Namek, "I know you're worried, but sit back for a bit and recover some of your energy; Yamcha and I will try and break through this thing."

Piccolo didn't want to admit that Krillin was right, and his energy had been severely depleted during the long exchange with this gigantic synthetic organism, so he knew his current level of power wasn't going to get them anywhere, "Alright, I'm counting on you."

Krillin nodded, "You ready Yamcha?!"

"Definitely!" The two turtle students jumped back and put their hands to their sides.

Together the two began to chant, "KA-ME-HA-ME…" side by side they locked onto the same target area, "HAA!" The energy beam flew threw the air and impacted the side of the structure with great force. The light cleared and a hole was visible on the side of the structure.

"Aright!" Krillin cheered as he dashed forward. He almost reached the hole when it began to quickly seal itself back up. Realizing what happened to Piccolo when he had been caught in the goop, Krillin put on the brakes to keep from colliding with the reforming wall. "Give me a break! It closed up almost instantly!"

Yamcha nodded as he floated closer to Krillin, but a sudden change of atmosphere caused them both to grow silent. An eerie silence spread throughout the area. All sound stopped, there was no wind, no birds, everything just stopped, "What happened?"

"It…" Krillin looked around feeling really nervous, "It stopped growing…"

"So… is this as big as it's going to get?" Yamcha asked while gazing over the skyscraper sized invader.

Krillin shrugged, "I wish I knew." There was no indication of anything going on below them anymore. Somehow Krillin still had a very bad feeling creeping into his gut.

The silence was really starting to bother Yamcha, "Should we try again?"

"Let's do it!" Krillin agreed and the two began to chant again. As they charged their attack a strange glow came over the whole structure, almost like a hallucination as if it expanded but then contracted. Neither of the warriors were sure if they saw anything or not, so they fired their attacks, "HAAA!"

The two Kamehameha waves curved through the sky towards the tower but this time didn't quite make it. The glow both had thought they'd seen returned and when their energy collided with it their energy was bounced back at them in the form of an explosion.

"LOOK OUT!" Krillin yelled as he dove out of the way.

Yamcha just managed to put his arms up in defense as the explosion singed his side, "What the hell was that?!"

"Don't look at me!" Krillin shouted feeling just as confused and anxious.

Piccolo floated over to Krillin and Yamcha, "It reflected your attack back at the both of you!"

"Yeah… but how?" Yamcha looked over the still silent wart protruding from the earth.

"It's adapting…" Piccolo grumbled, "Since we've arrived it's changed its patterns. Before it was concentrated on growing, but now it's focusing its energy towards something else, probably defending against us."

"Alright then…" Krillin thought about the situation, "What do we do?"

Piccolo couldn't believe he was even going to suggest this, "It can't be that strong yet, we might have a chance if we can hit it hard enough before it builds up a greater defense."

"We have been hitting it really hard!" Yamcha interjected.

Piccolo glanced at the man sideways and immediately Yamcha quieted down, "I know you can hit harder than that, now come on!"

The three charged up for another round of energy volleys. They spent a moment longer making sure they had as much energy as they could into their attacks, "NOW!"

All three energy beams were unleashed together and rocketed towards the mountain like growth. As before the beams hit the shield, but the three warriors continued to push as hard as they could against it. They barely caught site of the explosion flowing back in their direction before it was too late as they ducked out of the way. The force of the explosion blew them all back a good ways, but they had managed to save themselves from the brunt of the return blast.

"Great!" Krillin shouted angrily. He took a moment to catch his breath from the exertion of using all that power, "What now?"

Both men stopped as they noticed Piccolo's claws were digging into hands hard enough to draw blood, "I can sense Tien and Chaotzu are on their way, with their help… maybe…"

The two gulped nervously, "Alright…" They knew Piccolo was not happy waiting longer than necessary, but they knew this wasn't looking good.

Another few minutes went by then the glow from Tien and Chaotzu's auras came into view. Krillin waved, "Over here!"

Tien and Chaotzu stopped in front of the three already present, "My gosh… what the heck is that thing."

Piccolo looked it over, "I think it's a piece of the Big Gete Star that somehow found it's way here."

"Whoa!" Krillin's eyes opened wide, "You mean that gigantic mechanical thing that almost ate half of New Namek?!"

Piccolo nodded, "And if we don't hurry the same could happen here."

Krillin looked over at it, "I thought it was huge, but at least it's nowhere near as big as it was on New Namek."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, "It's probably still growing, it has become this large after only an hour. I'm sure it's not about to stop devouring energy from earth and from Gohan in order to continue its growth, so we need to hurry!"

"It's protected by a shield," Krillin explained to Tien, "It keeps bouncing back everything we throw at it, so we need to figure out a way to get past that. Maybe if we all hit it as hard as we can together we can get through it."

Tien nodded, "We're ready, let's get into this thing and save Gohan!"

Chaotzu tugged on Tien's pant leg to get his attention, "Was it spotted when we got here?"

"Spotted?" Tien looked back towards the Gete Star and noticed it really was covered in hundreds, maybe thousands of darkened spots along the surface.

Krillin scratched his head, "Maybe it got the chicken pox?"

The spots opened up and gun like rods extended from each of the spots and pointed up at them.

"Look out!" Tien pointed his finger down at the Gete Star, "DODONPA!" Tien's attack hit the shield as Krillin and Yamcha's had earlier and bounced the explosion back at them.

"MOVE!" everyone scattered to avoid the explosion, and then the lasers began to fire.

The Z-Fighters scattered as thousands of laser blasts all aimed in their direction began to light up the sky. Everyone ducked and twisted and contorted in order to dodge the laser fire.

Angry with how long it was taking to get past the Gete Star's defenses, Piccolo decided to try blasting through the shield again. His explosive wave tore through the laser beams barreling at him, collided with the shield, but then exploded and bounced back at him. "Damn…" Piccolo called out to the others, "Concentrate your attacks to this spot, but keep moving; don't get hit by the backlash!"

"Right!" The others followed Piccolo's instructions and began dash around as quickly as they could, stopping to throw a blast at the Gete Star before immediately moving again.

Five of them now kept trying to up the pace; dash around while avoiding laser fire, then blast at the Gete Star.

Chaotzu held both his hands out in front of him and fired a yellow beam which contacted the shield surface. As it bubbled on the verge of exploding, Tien dashed in close and put both his hands together, "TRIBEAM HA!" Tien's powerful attack hit the same area but the combination was also unsuccessful at penetrating the shield.

The sky became chaotic as everyone dodged laser fire and blasted at the shield whenever they were safe for a moment. Though every blast was hitting its target, nothing was changing.

Krillin dashed up to the shield and fired a blast at close range without breaking his momentum. The explosion echoed through the area, but once again it had no effect on the shield, "Geez… what's a guy gotta do around here?"

Everyone stopped as a large power descended towards them, "You call that an attack? Pathetic…"

Krillin along with most of the others cringed as Vegeta approached, "Well sorr~y."

Vegeta didn't bother to dodge the laser fire as it did so little damage through his aura, "So the Gete Star comes to earth… Is Cooler here as well? Or has it brought some other unintelligible figure back from the dead?"

Piccolo shook his head, "We need to get inside this thing fast, it has Gohan in there."

"The little brat got himself captured?" Vegeta chuckled, "Really, how old is he? Stupid punk probably doesn't even realize he has enough power to overload the Gete Star from the inside."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, "He never had the chance, no one knew what this thing was until it was too late, and by then it had already drained too much of his energy for him to transform."

"Fine," Vegeta started powering up, his aura flashed to a brilliant gold as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. "Then let us break this egg shell open."

"Vegeta, be careful!" Krillin shouted out, "That shield!"

"That shield will be nothing in mere moments…" Vegeta held one arm forward as he powered up. Everyone shielded their faces as the force of Vegeta's aura was much greater than they remembered, "BIG BANG…" A sphere of near blinding light formed in front of Vegeta's hand, "ATTACK!" The ball of energy flew down toward the Gete Star and upon impact it exploded.

The shock wave from the attack was deafening. The Z-Fighters waited anxiously to see if the attack was successful.

"RUN!" Tien grabbed Chaotzu and tried dashing in another direction, but was still caught in some of the backlash from Vegeta's attack.

Vegeta held firm in both shock and rage as the energy of his attack was returned towards him.

The explosion faded and Vegeta lowered his arms from his face. The ground was split open below, his clothes were burnt, and the others were no longer beside him. He spit in anger and fired several more rapid blasts at the Gete Star, none of which had any additional effect.

The Z-Fighters groggily started pushing themselves up from where they had become embedded into the ground.

Krillin pulled his face out from the sand and started coughing up dirt, "Did he at least make a dent with that?"

Tien had shielded Chaotzu from the blast and looked up at Vegeta angrily, "What do you think?"

A telepathic voice then shouted in all their minds, "PLEASE STOP!"

Piccolo rubbed his head as he stood up, "Dende? What's wrong?"

"Did you feel what happened when Vegeta's attack hit The Big Gete Star?" Dende was still atop the lookout, feeling over the earth with his eyes closed, "The Gete Star used up energy directly from the planet in order to shield itself; we have to find a different way to combat this thing."

"This is ridiculous," Vegeta crossed his arms as he floated out of range of the laser cannons and down to the Z-Fighters, "It never demonstrated these abilities when we fought the damn thing on Namek."

Piccolo thought for a moment, "On Namek it also had Cooler acting as its primary defense, and no one attacked it directly."

"Fine, then what do we do about it now?" Vegeta barked.

"I know!" Yamcha shouted excitedly, "This thing is some form of technology right? I bet Bulma can figure out a way past this thing's shield!"

"Bulma…" Vegeta growled and crossed his arms, "She's…" He looked over to the Gete Star taking in again how his attacks had done nothing to it and he visibly deflated and sighed, "Fine… I will go and retrieve the woman."

Tien looked disdainfully at the Gete Star as it appeared to be growing again now that it was no longer under attack, "And what do we do until then?"

Piccolo scowled, "I don't think we have a choice but to wait… We haven't dented its defenses and it's draining the earth faster every time we do hit it… I just hope…"

Krillin tried to keep positive, "Gohan will be fine, he's a tough kid remember? After everything that he's been through do you think a stupid alien planet eater is going to do him in?"

Piccolo closed his eyes and waited.

Inside the Gete Star, the battery platform sank all the way to the ground. Erasa, Sharp, and Videl remained still and quiet for a moment as it truly sank in their heads that The Dragon was Gohan all along.

"I don't…" Sharp pointed at the unconscious boy in front of them, "This… It's some kind of mistake right?"

Videl finally stepped forward and rolled Gohan over onto his back, "The Dragon is Gohan, Gohan is The Dragon… I mean… who else could it have really been?" she put her hand to his neck and checked his vitals, "He's alive."

Erasa breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness."

Sharp continued to shake his head, "But we _know_ Gohan… He's not the type…"

Videl continued to check over Gohan, "And that's probably what kept us blind to the truth for so long…"

Erasa nodded in agreement, "He's such a nice guy that we couldn't even put it together that The Dragon started making appearances the moment Gohan started school with us. Seems kind of obvious now doesn't it?"

Sharp looked at the helmet in his hands, "No, it doesn't! I mean… How did Gohan get this kind of tech? We saw where he lives, simple house out in the woods. Not exactly the site of luxury and riches… or a lab!"

"There's a lot we don't know still," Erasa took the helmet from Sharp and looked it over, "This is definitely advanced, I've never seen anything like it anyway. But we also know Gohan is smarter than he lets on too, maybe it's possible he made it himself, or he has resources we just don't know about yet."

"All the speculation can wait," Videl got the others to stop as she removed her hand from Gohan's forehead, "He's ice cold, is there anything around here we can use to warm him?"

"You're right, worry about the important things first," Even with the red hue in the room, Sharp could tell Gohan was looking pale, "Man, what did that thing do to him?"

"This whole place went up and grew the way it did by stealing his energy," Videl was still upset over how The Dragon had been taken right in front of her. The three looked around the room for another moment but there was nothing that looked as though it would provide a good source of heat. Without having much else to work with, Videl began rubbing Gohan's left arm to try and help through friction.

The movement caused Gohan to stir slightly, "Huh…?" he moaned out weakly.

"Shhh…" Erasa handed The Dragon helmet back to Sharp and dropped to Gohan's right side. "everything's going to be okay Gohan," She whispered soothingly as she joined Videl in helping to warm him back up.

Gohan's eyes slowly opened. His vision was hazy but he recognized Videl first, then Erasa. In front of him was a large robot and Sharp was next to it holding his helmet. When he realized Sharp was holding The Dragon helmet his hand jerked up away from Erasa and rubbed against his face.

Sharp's mouth dropped when he realized Gohan's reaction had to be genuine, "Oh my god, it's true…"

Gohan wasn't sure how to react, he couldn't look anyone in the eye, "...Guys… I…"

"Shh…" Erasa shushed him.

Videl nodded, "We'll talk about this later, first we need to figure out how we're getting out of here."

The Guide Robo stepped forward, "According my calculations, we have approximately three and a half minutes before the cleansing agents are able to break through the door."

The room filled with light as sparks flew through the door as though it were being torched by plasma cutters, "Correction, two minutes."

Erasa got up started taking a look around the room, "Guide Robo, what can you tell us about this room?"

The Guide Robo's eye flashed as it processed the request, "This room was created to house the entity filed as the great battery. The walls were created with several layers of extra insulation to absorb any violent excess of energy. In the event of catastrophic failure the energy jacks connecting the room to the rest of The Big Gete Star were fitted with emergency terminal disconnects capable of detaching the room from the Gete Star System. An eject system was configured to then launch the battery terminal from the star body entirely."

The cleansing agents were almost through the door.

"Is there a way to activate this ejection process manually?" Erasa asked hurriedly.

The Guide Robo nodded, "Yes, however the ejection system was not designed with the safety of occup…"

"HOW?!" Erasa interrupted the robot.

The Guide Robo pointed to two places on opposing walls, "Pulling those override switches will activate the ejection system."

"Sharp!" Erasa shouted as she ran to one.

"Got it!" Sharp ran to the opposing corner and grabbed the switch, "Ready!"

"I must once again warn you," The Guide Robo began, "The ejection system was not designed with the safety…"

"Pull it!" Erasa shouted.

Both of them flipped their levers and the room filled with a series of clanks and whirring sounds before everything seemed to lose power. The room went dark except for the light from the drilling cleansing agents, The Guide Robo's eye, and Erasa's Z-tab. The sound of a few small explosions echoed through the walls. Everything then began to quake and rattle moments before inertia violently threw everyone to the floor.

The force of upward motion kept everyone pinned to the floor for several more seconds. The sounds of the propulsion sending them up began to lessen, and then stop all together. For a moment everyone became weightless. Then all the forces reversed as the room began to plummet back towards the earth.

"How high are we?!" Erasa yelled over the sound of air blowing against the walls.

The Robo Guide's eyes blinked, "According to my calculations, at maximum height we should have reached roughly fifty thousand meters above the surface of the planet."

Erasa tried tapping into the room's controls again through her Z-Tab, but it seemed everything was completely powered off, "Is there a way we can fire the thrusters again to slow us down?"

"Negative," The Guide Robo announced, "The battery chamber was designed to be ejected in case of imminent catastrophe, there is no recovery procedure in place."

Sharp held on tight to any extrusions he could from the wall, "What's going to happen when we hit the ground?"

"Structural analysis indicates total chamber collapse at speed greater than five meters per second. Current speed, ninety six meters per second and climbing."

With a groan Gohan rolled himself over and began to crawl towards the center of the room. "What are you doing?" Videl called after him.

"Gotta… slow us down…" Gohan was still groggy as he took deep breaths to try and steady himself.

Gohan cleared his head and and tried to tap into the power he needed to stop their fall. His head snapped back as his hair changed to a brilliant golden color, but lasted only a moment as he fell forward, his hair black again.

"Gohan?" Videl watched almost mesmerized as Gohan tried again.

Gohan took a deep breath as once again his body gave off that golden light that flooded the room, but as before it quickly died. Gohan began breathing through his teeth as he strained to reach power where hardly any was. The chamber was almost spinning as it tumbled through the sky. Gohan started yelling as he tried reaching for more power again. He felt so weak, it was like trying to start an engine with no charge to get it moving. His eyes squeezed tight in concentration, and his hair began pulsing between gold and black rapidly, but still he couldn't hold onto his energy.

Breaths came in ragged through Gohan's mouth which hung open in exhaustion, "Gotta… try… again…" Gohan pushed himself up and squeezed his eyes shut as he dug deep for the will power to transform.

Gohan could almost feel it as he reached for it one more time. He was yelling near the top of his lungs as he struggled to hold onto that power. Gohan's eyes snapped open as they turned a bright emerald green and then his hair spiked higher into a golden color as his aura shot out like golden flames around him.

Videl's mouth dropped as she watched the transformation. Her mind flashed back and forth between what she was seeing and the broadcast of the Cell Games, "He's… he's the little boy who fought Cell too?"

Gohan's power flooded over the chamber, slowing down its descent on a cushion of energy.

The floor was stable, there was hardly any vibration of the room as it lowered slowly to the ground. Erasa and Sharp came around as well to get a better look at Gohan now that he was glowing. His face was still strained in concentration.

There was a pang and the whole chamber shook as it was set onto the ground. Gohan released his hold on the floor and slumped over. It was as if he simply fell out of his own aura as his hair returned to black on his way to the floor.

"Got you!" Videl caught Gohan by his shoulders and held him in place.

Sharp looked over the bent metal where Gohan had gripped the floor from. He ran his hands over the crumpled boney metallic surface and pulled on it. It wasn't at all pliable to him, so for Gohan to have warped his grip into it he knew must have taken a lot of force, "And he was able to do that while weak…"

A loud sudden knock at the door startled everyone. The Guide Robo turned to shine the light from his eye on the door. As everyone watched, several more punch like knocks hit the door, denting it inward.

"What is that?" Sharp asked nervously.

Erasa gulped, "I have no idea…"

"There is nothing in my databanks from The Big Gete Star with enough force to damage the reinforced door of this chamber in that manner," The Guide Robo took a step between the kids and the door.

Videl held onto Gohan tightly as the door was punched a few more times before what looked like fingers gripped into the metal, and the door was completely ripped off its hinges and tossed to the side. A tall green man stepped through the doorway and looked around. Though it was obvious he'd been in a scuffle recently, the site of the cape flowing behind him as he stepped was almost mesmerizing. He seemed to take notice of Gohan and walked forward.

Videl's eyes widened as she saw the green figure and a sensation of horror washed over her as she dragged Gohan away from the door, "Get away!"

Erasa and Sharp slowly stepped back as well, huddling close to Videl as the newcomer narrowed his eyes at them.

Videl jumped in front of her friends protectively, "You! I recognize you… You're The Evil King!" Erasa and Sharp took longer to recognize him, but from the green skin, pointy ears, and turban they knew Videl was right, "Piccolo Daimao!"

* * *

**End Chapter**

So… one thing that was never clear to me from the show is what exactly the Kami of the earth does… what makes him Kami? I may expand on this later, but for now watching over everything and throwing random lightning bolts down from the heavens sounded cool. I really wanted to give the Z-Fighters a little more story time since up to now they've only been around for a few interactions. Though they may never become primary characters in this story, I definitely want it to feel like they're there and doing something to be a part of Gohan's life, even if it's in the background most of the time. And I just couldn't help myself with the recognition of our "Piccolo Daimao"! As if Gohan didn't have some explaining to do before… hehehe…

Thanks again for reading, please let me know what you think in review, Twitter, Tumblr, or GooglePlus. I love talking with you guys!

'Til next time!


	13. Assembly of the Pantheon

Welcome back for another chapter! I was worried about having this one done in time, but it looks like things are good. Life is definitely hectic, I have a parent who's been in and out of the hospital for a month and going through surgery here soon, but I've been using this story as my chance to get away from things and keep writing on my Chromebook whenever I find myself sitting, waiting, and otherwise being anxious. Thanks a lot for coming by and I hope you enjoy this latest installment.

Also This is probably going to be the last chapter that I reply to reviews in the chapter. Some of the replies are getting too long and it's skewing my word count. So as of today, any new reviews I get will be replied to on my tumblr page, revu-review dot tumblr dot com. I'll try to respond to all the reviews as they come, so if you'd like to see the responses please come check it out over there!

So here we go -

anonymous - Glad that helped explain a few things at least! Actually at this point I'm making it that Vegeta hasn't reached SSJ level 2 yet. We're still before the timeline of Bojack, and Vegeta couldn't go level 2 against Bojack. Without that level 2 I'm gonna say solar level destruction is still out of Vegeta's reach, at least at this point. Solar destruction for a level 1 super saiyan Vegeta probably shouldn't be too far off… So… I'm gonna chalk it up to the combination of Gohan power, Piccolo power, and earth power that fended off the Big Bang Attack. But why it still didn't do more damage or cause more turmoil inside… I don't have a strong argument for this one… probably the dispel ability in DnD that requires one third of the energy used to cast the original spell in order to dispel it… Yeah that totally doesn't fly… I'll probably add something in the final version of the story that involves robots repairing system overloads. It deserved something more.

Engineer of Epicness - They should abandon all hope and run for their lives for nothing can stop the great demon king! Thanks a lot! And the Golden Dragon sounds cool! I still like the idea that we're inspiring the spread of dragon themed hero clothes in the Dragonball Z universe! This needed to happen!

whethermangohanssj4 - I was hoping you'd like the appearance of the Z-Fighters! Here I'm just going to have to disagree about redundant characters. If a series shouldn't have multiple characters that fulfill similar roles then why have multiple Pokemon professors? Or multiple rivals for the main character? A lot of anime and comics and stories introduce new characters to make the story feel fresh and unique. The idea is that each generation should be a stepping stone. The old characters are typically still there and rise to kick major butt every now and then, and you always get a sense of bad assness whenever Red shows up in Pokemon SPE even though the manga isn't about him anymore, he's still the ORIGINAL, and you know when he shows up that he means business. But the new characters, while filling a similar role to the old ones, bring their own unique perspective to the mix. Bulma, though having a genius level intelligent, is a spoiled rich kid. Embodying some of her talents in a character with a different background I hope will allow the character to develop quite a bit differently, even if they fulfill similar functions. The real world has many great geniuses, and the most epic things happen not because one person is amazing, but because a group of them working together can combine their perspectives to come up with solutions neither would have ever thought of on their own. And yeah, if we were to say Sharp is redundant and should be removed then we might as well say the same about Yamcha, Chaotzu, and Yajirobi because all of their functions could be fulfilled by Krillin.

Gohan1011- Glad you like it! I will try and keep these coming!

SteveEst98 - That's right, but enough about me, let's kill you! The TFS Cooler 2 movie is definitely one of my favorites that they made. Thanks for the compliment!

KiwiS92 - I like just driving the nail into my favorite characters it seems. We're going to spoil some things about a character, so why stop at just one thing? Let's lay it all out! Hopefully the scenario with the Big Gete Star isn't too confusing for someone who didn't see the movie. Besides the characters being familiar with the challenge I hope what's going on has made a decent amount of sense. Thanks for writing!

Ern Estine 13624 - Super! Thanks for the review!

EnixFairy - I was teetering back and forth for a few days on whether or not to have a chapter about the Z-Fighters. I was worried about teasing the readers who have wanted a reaction chapter from Gohan's friends for so long. And then I realized I can do a little of both and it should work out. In the end Gohan's friends are probably going to have even more questions once their heart attack over coming face to face with Piccolo is over. Thanks a lot of the review!

Guest - If I found out that one of my best friends could fly and shoot laser beams from his hands stuff… yeah I'd probably demand to be taught how to do that too. Of course with those kind of abilities seems to come exponentially rising danger and responsibility. This is assuming everything goes well after the full explanation is had lol! Thanks a lot!

Shadow Tricked - I'm so sorry I couldn't update immediately. I'm working hard to keep my once a week schedule going though. So I hope updating today isn't too terribly bad. I'm happy to see such excitement, thank you!

KuramaFTW - There's an awesome compliment, the DBZ version of Batman! I'd be happy with the DBZ version of Robin at this point! If anyone gets to be Batman, it's probably going to be Piccolo. I could totally see Piccolo in a dark suit beating the crud out of ne'er-do-wells while Gohan swings around behind him being more the more colorful and optimistic of the two. Thanks a lot for leaving some comments and I will definitely try!

duskrider - Might Dende be negatively affected by watching all the evil taking place in the world? He dealt with near proximity to Freeza and still came out rather pure of heart. Though there might be something lingering in there. I don't want to give anything away but…

UltimateGohan42 - I was hoping for something that was both recognizable but obscure enough to not be trapped into doing things a particular way or having a motivation set in stone. It's been a lot of fun getting to create a unique Big Gete Star.

TheLoyalMutation - Against Cell it seemed Piccolo was able to rip his own arm off after Cell had stabbed it and drained it of its innards causing the arm to whither. I figured Piccolo wouldn't be able to simply rip his arm off in the case that his energy was being drained without the actual limb being deteriorated. It made a nice dramatic effect too.

dcp1992 - Yeah, the scenario is hard to make a big deal out of things right away, but I was trying to think of how someone would react by reaction to seeing something they knew should be on their head in someone else's hand and then having a reflex action before realizing that a reflex action would be a reinforcement of the discovery being true. And yes, so much explaining… It's going to take a while to get through all the explaining…

Zanondalf1992 - A lot explaining is definitely coming. Oh Bojack, I haven't forgotten about the Herans. It's going to be a little bit still, but I have them worked into my outline for the story, but like everything else I intend to have a bit of a twist with them. Hehehe… I will tell no more!

FeCr - And 200 reviews! Congratulations! You get a one shot! Take your time to think about it and let me know what you'd like it to be about! When I started writing the chapter I really wanted to dive into the drama with Videl and the others, but I also wanted to delve more into what the Z-Fighters were going through and not leave them out entirely. I decided it'd be best not to drag the Z-Fighters out for too long and do a little of both. And I just had to end with Piccolo Daimao, Videl had just been watching videos of that tournament! Thanks for being especially awesome!

Fayoken - You rock, you rule! Welcome to account-hood! That is so cool that you would start an account for that, I definitely hope you enjoy what's coming.

KingKiger - That reveal has been a long time coming! I like making the characters work for it. They've got a little action to go through and then we'll be back in the interaction for a bit. Thanks for the review!

StammRoar - If it's interesting, then I'm happy. Fortunately this isn't the climax of the series or anything, I'd say we're at the halfway hump of the first arc. So hopefully we'll continue to develop in good ways! Thanks for leaving comments!

And another thank you to everyone else who is still reading! I'm hopeful that you're enjoying the story. Thanks a lot for sticking around!

* * *

Last time on Dragonball Legend

The Z-Fighters launched an attack on the Big Gete Star. They didn't get too far though as the star developed a shielding defense system capable of reflecting ki blasts back at its attackers. Even Vegeta's Big Ban Attack was unable to penetrate the defense system. By Yamcha's suggestion, the Z-Fighters left to retrieve Bulma in hopes her technical know-how would yield a better method for overcoming the technological boundaries separating them from Gohan. At the top of the Big Gete Star, Gohan's friends tried to cope with the discovery that he has indeed been the hero known as The Dragon the entire time they've known him. There were no time for questions as the internal defense systems began drilling through the last door defending our heroes. In a hurry to get away Erasa activated an emergency ejection system and blasted the entire room up into the sky. Without a safe way to land, it was up to Gohan to reveal another of his tricks as he used the little remaining energy he had to transform into a Super Saiyan and land the chamber safely before promptly passing out once again. The remaining occupants were startled as the door was viciously ripped from its hinges revealing someone the members of MASK recognized as, "The Evil King… PICCOLO DAIMAO!"

* * *

**Chapter 13: Assembly of the Pantheon**

* * *

There was no reaction from the tall green man after Videl had spat out, accusing him of being the once evil king who spiraled the world into chaos. Piccolo took a few more steps closer which was more than enough for Videl.

"I said stay back!" Videl launched herself into a flying kick but hit only air as Piccolo disappeared from in front of her.

Erasa and Sharp jumped back with a yell, Piccolo was kneeling beside Gohan, but neither of them ever saw him move.

"No you don't!" Sharp reeled his fist back and lunged forward. Videl was backtracking to help as well.

"Guide Robo, help them!" Erasa commanded and immediately the Guide Robo trained its gun on Piccolo.

Sharp threw as hard of a punch as he could. Piccolo's right hand reached for Gohan's throat while his left pushed back on Sharp's fist, sending him backward into a somersault, the open palm then moved and blocked the remaining bullets from the Guide Robo before tapping Videl's foot and sending her sliding back along the smooth floor.

"That's enough…" Piccolo's serious tone immediately stopped the teens from trying again.

One of Gohan's eyes opened slightly, his vision was still blurry, but the voice coming from above was unmistakable to him, "...M...Mr. Piccolo…"

The way Gohan spoke with endearment in his voice really had the others confused now.

"It's okay Gohan, you're safe now," Piccolo pulled Gohan's arms forward and lifted the boy up and placed him over his armored shoulder pad.

The MASK trio had no idea how to even take this turn of events. The day had already proven to be a series of unbelievable twists and turns and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon.

"Where are you taking him?" Videl finally demanded to know.

Piccolo regarded the girl carefully, still unsure of how much he should say to the teens, "I'm going to get him the help he needs, the three of you need to go back home, now!"

Everyone flinched at Piccolo's authoritative tone, but immediately stood back upright. Videl took another step closer to the green man, "If you think we're just going to let you run off with our friend then you're crazy!"

"Yeah!" Sharp backed Videl up, "We've got no reason to trust you, for all we know you just want to gobble him up!"

Piccolo's eyebrow twitched.

"PICCOLO!" A shout came from outside the chamber before a short bald man entered the room. Krillin saw Gohan in Piccolo's arms and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness you found him! But we need to get out of here, The Big Gete Star is growing again and all the plants outside are already dead!"

"Right, let's go," Piccolo turned and began to leave.

The teens took another few steps forward like they were about to try something else.

Krillin gulped as he noticed the serious looks on all their faces, "What do we do about them?"

Piccolo was about to fly, knowing there was no way the kids could keep up with them, but things outside were definitely looking bleak. Piccolo felt hands tighten on his shoulder, "Help them… please…"

Piccolo sighed and nodded, "Yamcha, Tien, Chaotzu, get down here!"

Tien hurried to the fallen chamber and looked inside, surprised to see the teenagers in the room with his friends, "What's going on here?"

Motioning to the teens with his face, Piccolo explained, "These three are Gohan's friends, I have a feeling we have them to thank for getting Gohan out of the Gete Star. We're taking them with us to the lookout."

"Oh, I see…" Tien nodded as Yamcha and Chaotzu entered getting the picture of what was going on as well.

"Each of you grab one and let's get going!" Piccolo ordered as he floated from the ejected chamber.

Krillin ran behind Videl, "I'm going to have to hold you from under your arms, is that okay?"

Videl didn't like the idea of being carried, but acknowledged that they needed to fly to get to wherever they were going and nodded in agreement, "Fine…"

Krillin gulped nervously from the harshness in Videl's response and lifted her from behind, carrying her almost perpendicular to his own angle of flight as he levitated and flew her out of the room. Yamcha did the same for Sharp.

Tien was about to grab Erasa but she stopped him first, "Wait, what about my Guide Robo?"

"_Your_ Guide Robo?" Tien looked over at the large robot Erasa was pointing at.

The Guide Robo shook its head, "The one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail! I do believe my usefulness to you has expired." The robot pointed to its broken arm and empty ammunition clips.

"No way! I'll find a way to fix you! Now you're coming too!" Erasa was not moving on the demand.

Tien looked from the girl to the robot, "Chaotzu, if you can carry this girl I'll bring her _Guide Robo_."

"Sure thing!" Erasa looked curiously at the miniature Chaotzu, but before she could say anything the strange boy's hand began to glow and then that glow spread to her body and she began to float without him even touching her, "Alright! Let's go!"

Erasa couldn't help but shriek as she was dragged away into the sky without actually being held by anything. Tien followed close behind with the robot in his grip.

Videl kept a close eye on Piccolo as he carried Gohan through the sky. She didn't really know what to believe as it seemed as though Gohan was extremely comfortable around the man. Piccolo hadn't actually tried to hurt them either, he seemed to have an almost fatherly concern for Gohan. Looking up at the man carrying her, Videl had to ask, "What was your name?"

"It's Krillin!" the bald man grinned down at the girl but then returned his focus to following Piccolo.

Videl decided if she was stuck on this ride she may as well probe for a few answers, "And you know The Dragon… or Gohan I should say?"

Krillin nodded, "Yeah we go way back! His dad was my best friend."

"Son Goku…" Videl looked over her shoulder and examined Krillin's outfit, and finally noticed Yamcha's as well, "You and your friend back there wear clothes similar to what Goku wore during the World Martial Arts Tournament fourteen years ago."

"Yeah, we were all trained in the Turtle style of martial arts by the same master," Krillin shook his head and laughed to himself, "Goku was always the best though."

"So what about the evil king?" At first Krillin was almost unsure of who Videl was referring to, but it registered she must have been talking about Piccolo, "Why does he know Gohan so well?"

"Oh boy…" Krillin sighed, "That's a long story, and I'm sure you're better off hearing it from Gohan. The gist of it though is Piccolo has been Gohan's mentor for years. Piccolo was Gohan's first martial arts teacher after all."

"So Piccolo was the one that took Gohan travelling around the world?" Videl thought outloud.

Krillin let out a high pitched "Ha!" but quickly quieted into a more nervous chuckle, "I… guess you could say that."

Videl eyed the man curiously, she could tell there was definitely more to it than that now.

"We're here!" Krillin shouted returning Videl's attention to their flight. She looked down below trying to determine just where they were heading. But then she saw it straight ahead. A building, more like a temple, floating above the clouds. She blinked not trusting her eyes for a moment. This large temple really was silently floating. She looked over her shoulder at her friends and saw similar expressions on both Sharp and Erasa.

As they approached the large open area on the top of the temple, a green boy who looked like a miniature version of Piccolo came running from the building, "Gohan!"

Piccolo gently laid Gohan down on the ground as Dende ran over to them. All three teens and the robot were set on their feet nearby as well. Dende kneeled in front of Gohan and rubbed his hands together. A soft humm built up and then a golden glow quickly came over them which overtook Gohan's form as he laid his hands upon the boy.

Sharp was confused by the light show and tried asking Yamcha, "What's he doing to Gohan?"

In a low whisper Yamcha replied, "Dende is a healer, so he should have Gohan up and around like nothing."

Sharp didn't quite believe it but kept watching with interest.

Dende's eyes closed as he continued to pump energy into Gohan, "He's not wounded, but his lifeforce was drained to dangerous levels." In only a short time, color was returning to Gohan's face, and he was starting to look healthy and like his old self again.

Everyone watched anxiously as the light from Dende's hands slowly faded. Once the humming died down Gohan's eyes opened. The boy sat up quickly coming face to face with the god of the earth, "Welcome back Gohan."

"Gohan!" The other three teens nearly tackled Gohan, relieved to see he was alright.

"Oh wow…" Gohan looked around at everyone, "Hi."

Krillin, Yamcha, and Chaotzu couldn't help but laugh. Krillin crossed his arms, "You had us worried bro."

Tien nodded, "Yes, you'd do well by everyone to not get caught by alien energy sucking robots again."

Gohan grinned, "Yeah, sorry about that…"

Gohan's three friends practically spun him around and glared at him together. Videl took point in the group as her stare pierced into Gohan's soul, "Okay mister, you've got some major explaining to do!"

With a typical grin on his face, Gohan rubbed the back of his head, "Where should I start?"

"How about…" The three looked at each other and realized they had so many questions they didn't know where to start.

Erasa finally asked, "Why didn't you tell us that you were The Dragon?"

Gohan bit his lip, "Honestly… there were a few times I really wanted to. I even tried to. At the Timber's party when we found Wally and Oakley pretending to be The Dragon," Gohan held his fingers out in a pinching motion, "I was this close to laying everything out for you guys right there. In fact, I probably would have if the Crane Mercs hadn't chosen that time to show up… And then other times I was going to tell you things just ended up happening. Other topics were more important or something was going on that stopped me from saying anything…"

Videl registered what Gohan was saying as the truth and nearly slapped her forehead, "I don't even…"

Piccolo cleared his throat, "I'm sure you all have a lot to discuss, but The Big Gete Star is still a huge threat to the earth. We need to do something about it fast.

"Right!" Gohan jumped to his feet and stood with the Z-Fighters, "I owe it for using me as a battery! Whenever you're ready to face it again I'm with you!"

"Hold on Gohan," Dende grabbed onto Gohan's shoulder, "You aren't aware of some of the new abilities The Big Gete Star has been displaying." Dende pointed down to the earth below, "The biggest problem we've run across is it is protected by some kind of shield. Every attack that hits the shield is reflected back on whoever attacked it, and the Gete Star draws energy from the earth to replenish itself."

Gohan didn't like the sound of that, "There's nothing we can do about the shield?"

A forlorn look crossed Dende's face, "Vegeta hit it with his Big Bang Attack, and even that had no effect but to drain more energy from the earth.

"Ahem," Erasa cleared her throat getting everyone's attention, "I might have a way through the shield."

The eyes of every Z-Fighter present widened. "You do?" Yamcha looked at the girl in disbelief, "But how?"

Videl got up and crossed her arms, "How do you think we got inside to rescue Gohan?" She pointed at Erasa with her thumb, "This genius right here figured out a way to neutralize the shield and get us passed."

Gohan smiled, "You're amazing Erasa! What do we have to do?"

Erasa explained, "I analyzed the shield to determine the energy frequency it operated on and was able to broadcast a wave on the same frequency to disrupt the shield in an area large enough to pass through."

"I understood absolutely none of that…" Yamcha groaned, but the sound of an approaching skycar took their attention. "Fortunately it sounds like someone who can understand it is finally here!"

The large skycar hovered over the rim of the lookout and then landed gently on the temple grounds. The teens watched curiously as the cockpit opened and a women with light blue hair hopped out. She saw Gohan and ran up to him and gave him a hug, "Hey kid! I'm so glad to see you're alright! When I heard you were stuck in that thing I got worried, but don't worry I won't tell your mom."

Gohan grinned through the hug around his head, "Thanks Bulma!"

Erasa's eyes widened as she took slow steps towards her idol, "It's… really her…"

Bulma let go of Gohan and tipped her hat forward, "So these are the friends I've heard so much about, are you going to introduce us?"

Gohan cringed realizing the way Bulma was acting so familiar around him was going to land him with even more questions, "Yeah, Bulma, these are my friends Videl, Sharp, and Erasa. Guys, this is Bulma B…"

Erasa didn't let Gohan finish as she shook Bulma's hand, "Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corporation, it is such an honor to meet you!"

Bulma looked at Erasa oddly for a moment but then her eyes lit up like a light bulb went off, "Erasa you said? Are you the Erasa Scribes who wrote me those letters with the details on how you coded a digital wavelength separator?"

"You remembered?" Erasa looked on starry eyed.

Bulma nodded, "Your programming skills are definitely top tier! I had no idea you were so young."

"She's also the one who found a way through the Gete Star's shields," Gohan exclaimed for his friend, getting them back on track.

"Really now?" Bulma pulled Erasa for a walk along the temple grounds, "You've gotta tell me what you found out!"

The two set about sharing their knowledge to come up with something new.

"It shouldn't take them long to come up with something now," Gohan smiled as he turned around to his friends but then frowned when he saw the looks Sharp and Videl were giving him.

"Capsule Corp…" Videl nodded, "Now The Dragon makes a little more sense…"

Gohan grinned awkwardly, "Yeah, all the cool gadgets The Dragon uses were definitely made by Bulma."

Another figure quietly rose over the side of the lookout. Without saying a word, he touched down and walked towards a tree he could lean against. Videl and Sharp watched the newcomer for a moment. Videl finally pointed at him, "Isn't that one of the aliens who came to earth seven years ago and destroyed Peninsula City?"

"Well…" Gohan nervously started, "Technically it was the other alien he was with who destroyed the city, but yeah he was there."

Videl looked from Gohan to Piccolo and the others, "You're _that_ kid too…"

"I don't… even…" Sharp clutched his head tightly, "What… what are you Gohan?"

Everyone watched as Gohan looked down for a moment in thought. He finally answered, "I'm an earthling, but I'm a halfbreed. Half human and half an alien race called saiyan. The saiyans were powerful warriors who loved combat, but their planet was destroyed about thirty years ago. Very few survived, one of them being him over there, Vegeta, Bulma's husband and the prince of the saiyans, and the other one was my dad."

"You're… half alien…" Sharp gulped.

Gohan nodded, "Yeah."

"This is unreal…" Videl started pacing trying to let everything sink in.

Bulma and Erasa came running back towards the group. Bulma excitedly cheered, "This is amazing!"

"Do you have a way defeat the enemy defenses woman?" Vegeta seemed only interested in resuming the battle with the Gete Star.

Bulma held up Erasa's Z-Pad, "Erasa was able to get a close range analysis of the Gete Star's shield structure. This poor old tablet wasn't able to open a hole in the shield on its own because of how little power it's able to transmit, but if we were able to amp up the energy of the broadcast… Gohan, come here!"

Gohan ran over to Bulma and she grabbed his arm, flipping it over and accessing a control panel on the arm band, "I'm almost positive that I can trigger the frequencies of the battle suit to match the data Erasa collected, and then you guys will be able to blast holes straight through the shields without a problem."

"That's awesome Bulma!" Gohan made a thumbs up motion with his free hand as Bulma worked on the other.

"It's only a minor adjustment… and there! Gohan is ready!" Bulma closed the panel and the system on the armband reset quickly, "I'll make the same modifications to the spare suits and then you'll all be ready to teach this thing a lesson!" Bulma opened up a case filled with capsules. She gave one of them a click and tossed it revealing a rack of suits similar to Gohan's Dragon costume, but they lacked any theme besides space armor.

Bulma sped through making the changes to each suit with amazing efficiency. Krillin caught one that Bulma tossed back, "Wow, it's been awhile since I got to wear saiyan space armor, I don't remember it looking this cool though."

Even Piccolo begrudgingly took one of the offered armor sets and changed into it. Gohan couldn't help but grin up at Piccolo wearing the rugged equipment.

Krillin jumped out from the back wearing the suit and posed, "No wonder Gohan fights crime while wearing this! It makes you feel…" He put his hands on his hips and looked up to the sky, "Super!"

"Don't… No… Krillin… Don't do that," Tien shook his head as he walked by wearing an armor as well.

Vegeta donned the armor Bulma passed to him. As he was always in battle armor it didn't look too alien on him.

Everyone was almost ready to go, but the teens noticed they were being left out of being handed anything. Videl stepped forward and announced, "We're going to help too."

The Z-Fighters all looked to Gohan for insight on what to do. Gohan looked down and approached his friends, "You guys… What you did today was completely amazing, but I can't put you in that kind of danger again. You'll be much safer waiting here and then we can talk about everything that we need to."

Sharp took a slightly aggressive stance as he stepped forward, "We proved we're able to hold our own in a fight! We took on robots with machine guns, hundreds of little spider bots with disintegration cannons, so don't tell us to wait where it's safe!"

Gohan sighed as he tried to think of a way to explain to them what was about to happen, "I need to show you something.." Gohan held a hand out angled up toward the sky, and in front of him energy began to slowly bubble in front of his open palm. The three teens watched the light in awe for a moment before it expanded and a large energy beam was launched from Gohan's hand.

Sharp gulped as he stared at the beam still flying away in the sky, "I remember seeing you do something like that before but... "

Erasa stepped forward and grabbed Gohan's hand, examining his glove "That wasn't a weapon… You made that naturally? Some kind of bioelectric field manipulation?"

Videl tried not to let it show how shaken she was by the display of power up close, though she could feel her hair standing on end, "So what you're going to do is…"

Gohan looked from where Erasa was still poking at his hand, "That's what we have to do against the Gete Star now. It's not going to be charging in and being heroic, we just need to blast it off the planet at this point."

The three looked down dejectedly realizing what Gohan was describing was something they couldn't help with after all.

Bulma saw the look on their faces and stepped forward, "I intend to watch the whole thing; I'll fly a skycar in to a safe distance with a good vantage point so you all should ride with me!"

The teens looked to be considering the offer when Erasa's Z-Pad started flashing with new headlines. She pulled out the tablet and tapped on the item. Her eyes widened as she shouted, "Oh my gosh guys! Look!"

A video started playing on her tablet as the others gathered around, "At last the world savior, Mr. Satan, is making his move against the strange alien threat! We take you now live to just outside Satan City."

The video switched to live footage of Mr. Satan standing atop an open top floating platform that was approaching the Gete Star. The man behemoth turned to the camera and lifted his hand to the sky, "YEAAAAHHHH! There's no need to fear, cause Mr. Satan, defender of the earth, is going to take this thing down to the ground!"

A mustached reporter approached Hercule with a microphone, "Mr. Satan, what do you intend to do against something the size of a mountain range? Surely even your incredible strength can't beat it to submission?"

Hercule crossed his arms and tried to look intimidating, "If there's one thing martial arts teaches you it's that every foe has a weakness, and a mountain is no different! Right now as we circle around this blob thing, I'm using my keen world saving senses to find that weak point. And once I do this whole thing is going down, SATAN STYLE!"

With a cheer the reporter continued, "That's one of the bravest things I've ever seen ladies and gentleman, Mr. Satan is actually going to enter the alien mountain and fight his way to the core to destroy it, risking his own life in the potential backlash!"

Mr. Satan blinked absently, "Uhhh, enter this thing?"

"Well where else do you expect to find a weakness to something so huge?" The reporter asked quizzically.

Mr. Satan straightened up, "Oh, well, of course! HAHAHA! Inside, yup, that's where the weakness will be…"

The reporter handed Mr. Satan a parachute, "I imagine you'll be needing this as soon as you find the best point to attack from?"

"Good thinking," Mr. Satan slid the parachute on and stared over the side of the platform, "ALRIGHT YOU ALIEN SCUMBAGS, OPEN UP CAUSE SATAN IS COMING TO PAY YOU A VISIT!"

As Hercule shouted there was a glow from below. The glow faded and then a platform opened up on the boney metallic surface.

The reporter adjusted his glasses as he watched the area below open, "My goodness! It appears the massive growth has heard our protector and is issuing him a challenge directly!"

"Yeah…" Mr. Satan blanched slightly, "How about that…"

The reporter's excitement continued to pour out, "Little do they know what they're up against! Mr. Satan isn't one to simply back down from any threat, he will face it head on and eradicate it with unrelenting fury!"

Hercule had to take a short moment to blink the stupor off of his face but then straightened out, "Unrelenting fury! Right, that's me! Now I must go!" Hercule grabbed another bag and jumped off the platform.

"There he goes ladies and gentlemen, the best hope our planet has to offer!" The reporter and the camera moved to the edge of the hovering platform to watch Mr. Satan descend.

The parachute opened and Mr. Satan touched down on the surface of the Gete Star. He removed his parachute as the door to the inside simply opened. A worried look crossed Hercule's face, but he quickly regained his composure as only a small robot exited the structure, "Welcome to The Big Gete Star, I will be your Guide Robo! Thank you for volunteering yourself to the Gete Star, I can lead you to the processing chamber."

"This is going to be easier than I thought," Mr. Satan snickered to himself, "Alright little tin man, show me inside!" Mr. Satan strutted behind the hovering robot into the Gete Star.

"Oh no…" Gohan rubbed his forehead as he looked away from the live stream.

"What's up?" Krillin asked as he noticed the worried look on Gohan's face.

Gohan took in a deep breath, "Change of plans, we can't just blow up the Gete Star."

"What's happened?" Tien asked showing concern as well.

"There's someone inside the Gete Star now; they have Mr. Satan," Gohan explained.

Vegeta snorted, "I hardly see how this is a problem."

"That is my father!" Videl stomped in front of Gohan managing to shut everyone up before any more comments on Mr. Satan could be made. She turned to Gohan, "Don't you think he may have a chance in there?"

Gohan looked down for a moment but shook his head, "Your dad is one of the strongest humans on earth, and he's capable of a lot of things, but he's got no idea what he's walking into. If we don't get to him soon he'll be processed for sure."

"There's more!" Erasa shouted as she ran over with the Z-Pad, "Look, that robot army we saw being built inside is on the move, they're marching straight for the city!"

Authoritative steps marched into the center of the group. "Listen up," Piccolo immediately captured everyone's attention, "We're going to need to split into several groups to make this work. We need a team to infiltrate the Gete Star and look for Mr. Satan while another group takes on the Cyclopean Guards. Making sure they don't capture any more people is the top priority."

Without waiting for Piccolo to continue, Videl spoke up, "I'm going to be on the team entering the Gete Star looking for my father."

Piccolo's eyebrow twitched again as he noticed there was no question from the girl, it was a pure statement of fact.

Sharp also stepped forward, "And that means I'm going too!"

"It's too dangerous!" Piccolo tried to stare both of them down.

"We know the risk," Videl countered Piccolo's stare, "Unlike you guys, we've actually been inside it already, we know what it's like in there and how to get around."

"Piccolo," Gohan spoke from behind his friends, "They have a point, The Big Gete Star is huge, it would take us way too long to find one man in there on our own."

With arms crossed, it looked as though Piccolo was giving in, "Alright, but I'm going to be in there with you, and if I say you need to get down, hide, and stay out of trouble, then that's what you're going to do!"

The teens gulped still unsure what to think about Piccolo, but nodded. Without another word Piccolo marched to the edge of the lookout.

"You guys better grab some armor," Videl looked behind her and saw Gohan smiling at them, "The Gete Star is even bigger now than it was before, do you guys have a way to find him like you found me?"

"I have an idea," Erasa patted her stolen Guide Robo, "Videl's dad won't be emitting a radio signal like The Dragon suit was, but I should be able to install a firewall that will keep our Guide Robo's new programming safe from being hacked for a short time while still giving him access to the Gete Star's mainframe. With that information he'll be able to take us straight there."

"Great idea!" Bulma cheered for Erasa, "Let me help you make some repairs to him while you get that set up and we should be ready to go in no time!"

Gohan turned to address the Z-Fighters as well, "Then while you fix the robot we'll go and start defending against the Cyclopean Guards. Once it's ready we'll meet you at the Gete Star where Piccolo, Vegeta, and I will go in with you to find Mr. Satan."

Vegeta scowled, "And why exactly should I join you on such a ludicrous rescue mission?"

With a wink Gohan explained, "Because you'll be inside the Gete Star, a prime place to blow stuff up once we have Mr. Satan out of there."

Vegeta let out a "hmph" as he turned with his arms crossed so he wouldn't have to admit the explanation was satisfactory.

"We know what we have to do," Gohan shouted to everyone, "Let's do it!"

"Right!" Yamcha cheered. Piccolo led the way as Yamcha jumped from the lookout with Tien and Chaotzu close behind. Vegeta floated off behind them as well.

"Hey Krillin," The bald man was stopped from jumping off the lookout by Gohan's call, "Will you carry Sharp back to the city while I take Videl?"

"Of course!" Krillin waited by Gohan's side as Gohan motioned again for the two to hurry and change into the armored suits Bulma brought.

The two excitedly grabbed a suit from the rack. Sharp looked it over, getting a good feel for the material, "This is going to be amazing."

Videl looked more serious, "This is also going to be work, be sure to keep your guard up. We still have no idea what could come at us… from any direction…"

Sharp got the idea Videl wasn't talking just about the Gete Star, but nodded as he went to a different room to change. Once Gohan saw the two of them suited up and heading towards him, he strapped on his helmet, "Erasa, Bulma, we're counting on you two!"

Bulma gave a thumbs up while hardly looking up from her work. Gohan and Krillin grabbed onto Videl and Sharp and blasted off from the lookout.

A hardwire attached to the Guide Robo's neck snaked over to Erasa's Z-Pad as she typed away commands on the small device. The Guide Robo looked over at Erasa, "Excuse me, The one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail! May I inquiry?"

Erasa swiped at the upload button and smiled warmly, "Of course!"

The eye on the Guide Robo flashed as it processed its question, "Your friend Videl mentioned that becoming one with The Big Gete Star is neither potential nor purpose. If something so grand is neither of those things, might you explain what is?"

Erasa looked up from her Z-Pad and frowned for a moment, "Wow, that's a deep question…" the blond girl thought for a moment while the upload bar filled on her tablet, "The answer is going to be different for every person. That's what makes the concept of a collective conscious so difficult for many people."

The Guide Robo's eye flashed more, "If it's different for every person, can you explain what your potential and purpose are?"

The girl laughed for a moment as she realized the robot was unaware how difficult a question it was asking, "What is my potential and purpose? Hmmm"

Bulma tried to act as though she weren't listening while working on repairing the Guide Robo's arm.

"I suppose…" Erasa thought about it just a little bit more, "that I want to live a life where I can help people. Make things and do things that will help everyone, including me, live happier lives."

"Happiness…" The robot processed the term, "Can you please explain, what is happiness to you?"

"Oh dear… This is another hard one to explain, but essentially happiness is like…" Erasa grinned as a few things came to mind, "holding a purring kitten or eating something sweet like cotton candy. Talking to a cute boy and dancing at a party."

Erasa didn't quite catch the grin on Bulma's face as she continued to work as well.

The robot was quiet as its eye blinked in processing, "This happiness is a strange concept."

"And that's probably why we cling to our own versions of it so tightly," Erasa finished uploading the new firewall program and disconnected the wire, "All done here!"

Bulma finished screwing a plate in place, "And the servos are in place and shielded with new plates, we should be good to go!"

"Thank you Bulma, you're completely amazing!" Erasa cheered.

"Says the girl who reprogrammed a killer robot on the fly," Dende watched the two genius women compliment each other back and forth. "I'll get the Guide Robo in the sky car while you get changed.

"Thanks!" Erasa grabbed one of Bulma's armor suits and ran.

"They're good kids," Bulma said to no one in particular but loud enough for Dende to hear, "Maybe it is time to start encouraging the next generation."

With the Guide Robo loaded and Erasa changed, the two waved to Dende as they returned to the surface where the Gete Star waited.

Dende stared down off the side of the lookout, "Encourage a new generation?" He looked at his own hand as he made it glow.

"Are you alright Dende?" Mr. Popo asked the young god.

Dende grinned, "Gohan and his friends… they're an inspiration. But with some help I think they can become more… Maybe even… Legendary."

* * *

**End Chapter**

A lot of apprehension remains in Videl's mind as she tries to piece together her thoughts with what little information she has. There's no way Gohan could have answered all the questions his friends have for him while the earth is still in danger, but his friends definitely know a lot more now than they did earlier in the day. Their world is turning on its axis as everyone suits up and prepares for battle and a rescue mission. Leave it to Hercule to get himself in trouble while trying to show off to the people who think he's amazing. Who would have thought the Gete Star would have just let someone inside if they asked it instead of acting hostile first?

There's definitely a lot of action that has to happen, next time on Legend. Thanks for coming reading another chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what your thoughts are in review/comments form or on any of my social media profiles.

'Til Next time!


	14. Intent on Assimilation

Some of you already know this has been a rough few months for my family and me. When I first started writing this chapter I wrote in this spot that my mom was doing better, but that changed and I lost her last month. I may be the youngest of my siblings but my mom was still too young to have left. What makes it worse is how unexpected it was. We were all under the impression that she was going to get better and were all making plans for what we were going to do once she was feeling like going out again. Now I feel terrible that all of those things I wanted to do for my mom to show her I cared will always be intentions but never actual actions. I always thought I had plenty of time left to do things with my mom and took a lot for granted. It sounds cliche, but you never know when today may actually be the last day.

My mom was my biggest fan. She loved my stories like ZAT and Legend. And it makes it harder to go back and continue editing and working on Legend especially because I really mixed a lot of my mom's personality into Chichi when I altered her character to work for this story. The parts where Chichi calls Gohan "baby" in front of everyone only for him to cringe and her to laugh is personal experience. I always had her to go to for advice on my female characters too. She helped me refine Videl's rough and tumble with a softer side personality, and when I was having difficulty with Erasa in the last chapter wondering what happiness meant to a thirteen year old girl, it was my mom who told me how something simple like her grandfather taking her into town for cotton candy meant the world to her.

I can't begin to describe how much it hurts that I've lost my biggest supporter, the one I could always turn to when I wanted to bounce ideas off of someone, the person in my life who was as big of a Gohan fan as I was. She wanted me to continue to write though so I'm going to try. She always wanted to see me publish something original so I intend to eventually work on more original fantasy stories too. I just need more time and hopefully things will get better.

Thank you everyone who has stood by and sent me comforting messages over these last few months. I know most of us don't actually know each other but hearing that my mom's influence has touched even my readers who never knew her meant a lot to me.

Thank you all.

* * *

I'm still replying to every review I get, but I've now moved my replies to Tumblr so I can respond with extra detail. Please visit my Tumblr page at revu-review dot tumblr dot com or do a search on Tumblr for #RevuReplies and they should all pop up.

Thank you so much for reading and see you at the bottom.

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**Last Time on Dragonball Legend**

Videl, Sharp, and Erasa were finally introduced to the Z-Fighters. Videl was able to piece together from this new information more details on Gohan's life she had no idea about before, including that Gohan was both the little boy who was present during the alien attack almost ten years ago as well as at The Cell Games. It seemed as though MASK's helpfulness had come to an end after Erasa shared her findings with Bulma which would allow the Z-Fighters to blast through the Gete Star's shields when Hercule approached the Big Gete Star and was allowed to enter. Fearing for her father's safety Videl insisted she be a part of the team to enter the Star to rescue the man. With Gohan's support the other Z-Fighters relented and are now enroute to Satan City to deal with the Cyclopean Guards who are beginning to round up civilians while Bulma and Erasa make modifications to their reprogrammed Guide Robo in order to locate Mr. Satan. Time is running out before The Gete Star is ready to process prime life forms, today on Dragon Ball Legend!

* * *

**Chapter 14: Intent on Assimilation**

* * *

The sun now lit the city brightly in the later morning sky. Roads west of Satan City were still overcrowded by evacuees all trying to push their way as far from The Big Gete Star as possible. As crowded as the streets were, things were relatively calm. Very little was going on in the way of honking and shoving, and police had squad cars lined up trying to keep everything organized.

People near the end of the line waited in boredom for things to move, most of them hardly moving a city block in the last hour. A young man in a small car was nearly asleep with his head resting on his elbow that hung outside his rolled down window.

In the distance behind him there was noise. One of his eyes lazily opened and looked into the side mirror. There was nothing to see but tall grey buildings, but he was almost sure he could hear a faint drumming like sound. The area became quiet as more people began to notice the sound. It was slowly getting louder.

The young man's eyes widened when he saw it, several streets behind him, a battalion of robots rounded a corner and were marching in his direction. People from nearby cars screamed as they abandoned their vehicles and ran in a frenzied pace.

The robots marched forward, stomping over the abandoned cars as they made their way towards the crowds of people. A child fell and was separated from her parents. She looked up as a shadow fell over her, terrified at the hunk of metal before her, "*Beep* We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own, we are the Gete, you will be assimilated."

The girl screamed as the robot reached down toward her.

A new sound like a rocket falling caused the robot to look up, "That's enough!" Tien shot through the line of cars and crashed into the front line of cyclopean guards, pushing them all back and away from the people, giving them time to put some distance away from the encroaching Gete force.

Yamcha and Chaotzu landed behind Tien. Yamcha threw an energy blast at one of the robots which bounced off its shields much as their attacks on the proper Gete Star had done, "Even these guys are shielded."

"Yeah, so stop playing around," Tien grumbled as Yamcha turned the control on his glove activating the energy modulation Bulma had given them. The gloves emitted a slight hum and Yamcha could definitely feel a change come over his energy pattern. He continued to hold his wrist as he gathered energy to his hand, "Sokidan!" A large spirit ball gathered above Yamcha's upward turned palm, "Let's see how your shields do against this!" He threw the energy ball which tore through the shields of the first robot as if it had none and disintegrated its core. Using two fingers he guided the ball from one robot to another, taking out nearly a dozen with the single attack.

Chaotzu grinned, "It looks like Bulma's idea worked great!"

"At least we're not dressed up as saiyan space warriors for nothing…" Tien sighed as he pointed a finger towards the crowd of robots.

Chaotzu floated at Tien's side, his pose matching Tien's exactly. Energy gathered in the tip of both of their pointed fingers and together they shouted, "Dodon ray!" The two energy beams shot down the street tearing through many layers of Cyclopean Guards. A multitude of explosions rang out down the block and dozens of robots burst into flames. From within the smoke however was the unmistakable sound of clacking footsteps and many more Cyclopean Guards continued to march forward. The ones in front held out their arms, machine guns and cannons formed from their forearms and they began to fire on the Z-Fighters.

* * *

At a slower pace still outside the city, Gohan flew through the sky holding Videl underneath him while Krillin followed with Sharp at a distance out of earshot behind.

Gohan could feel tension radiating from his passenger, and though at first he chalked it up to anxiety in regards to her father he was starting to feel nervous. Videl made a frustrated grunt like sound and so Gohan finally asked, "Are you alright Videl?"

"How can you even ask me that right now?" Videl snapped immediately.

Gohan stiffened up, he wasn't completely sure what Videl's aggression was directed towards, "I'm sorry."

Videl clenched her mouth shut and looked to the side without replying at all.

It wasn't hard to guess that there was a lot on Videl's mind so Gohan tried to talk to her, "Don't worry, we're going to get your dad out of there, he'll be okay."

"Of course he'll be alright," Videl groaned, "He's Mr. Satan, he defeated Cell and countless other enemies, I'm sure he can hold his own until we get there."

Gohan swayed his head from side to side and tried not to say anything.

"You know…" Videl finally spoke up, "You really should have told me sooner, it's not like we haven't had a lot of personal talks about issues as well as about The Dragon."

"I…" Gohan took a nervous gulp as he wasn't sure how to deal with this topic, "I was scared, I wanted to tell you, but there was always a voice inside that said other people wouldn't understand me and to stay quiet if I wanted to fit in. So I got discouraged really easily from saying anything."

"I trusted you," Videl bit her lower lip, "I told you so many things I wouldn't have told anyone else, but the entire time it turns out I had no idea who you really were."

"That's not true!" Gohan's eyes widened as a sad look crossed his face, "My whole reason for leaving out these details about my life is because I wanted to make friends who were interested in getting to know me, the real me, and not the half alien freak son of my father."

Videl twitched. She wanted to say she understood, that a person deserves to be more than their parent's shadow, but somehow she just couldn't find the words, "You're an idiot."

Gohan sighed and apologized again, "I'm sorry."

"I can't believe I almost kissed you," Gohan noticeably dropped altitude as the stinging words sunk in. "Hey watch out!"

Gohan corrected his flight path and returned to his previous altitude, "I…"

"No, I'm sorry," Videl finally realized this was the wrong time to be digging into the boy and interrupted Gohan, "It's just I was finding myself admiring both you and The Dragon, as two separate people. So you'd think it would be great to find out you're the same person, but I'm going to need time to process everything that's happened."

"I'm still sorry Videl," Gohan said anyway, "I really, _really_, should have told you sooner."

The city was coming up fast ahead of them, "We'll figure all this out soon enough, for now let's concentrate on stopping these alien robots and saving my dad."

"Right!" Gohan swooped down toward the city streets

Gohan and Krillin flew quickly through the city, taking sharp turns between skyscrapers like guided missiles. It was almost disorienting to the humans dealing with the swinging G-Forces.

"There!" Videl pointed to a large group of Cyclopean Robots approaching trapped motorists.

Once directly above the motorists Gohan let Videl go. She was nervous that he dropped her from so high up, but the armband of the suit lit up with the words "Free Fall Detected" and her descent slowed to a rate she could safely touch down at.

Sharp landed just beside her, similarly impressed by how he didn't crash into the ground.

Gohan placed himself between the people and the encroaching robots. The people looked at the newcomers and cheered, "It's The Dragon!"

"He's brought friends!"

"Come on Dragon! Show them who's boss!"

Gohan looked over to Krillin, "I got these ones."

Krillin nodded, "Cool, then I'll find me some other targets!"

Gohan raised his hands to his forehead, "MA-SEN-KO-HAAA!" The yellow and purple energy amplified through his suit and tore through the wave of Cyclopean Guards. Once the light faded only robot debris and slag remained.

The crowd cheered, "Was that some kind of Dragon Breath attack?!"

"That was awesome!"

"Think he'll do it again?"

The Dragon flew up over the crowd, "More are coming! You need to hurry up and keep moving!"

Sounds of metallic marching were approaching still igniting the panic in the people to get them running again.

Through the clearing dust the Cyclopean guards zoomed in on the people in front of them. Their targeting system focused on The Dragon and displayed the warning, "Threat level: Extreme". The robots pointed their arms forward as guns extended and pointed Gohan's way.

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" Gohan shouted at them.

"*BEEP*" The robots eyes blinked and additional cannons rose out from their backs and pointed over their shoulders.

"Oh…" Gohan spread his arms wide and created a large energy shield as the Cyclopean Guards started firing to protect everyone behind him. The bullets weren't affecting the shield very much, but Gohan couldn't let it down while there were still bystanders nearby, "GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE!"

Videl and Sharp kept to the edges of the crowd trying to route them all ahead. "Do you hear that?!" Sharp shouted looking up. From a side street a group of Cyclopean guards flew down toward the people.

"No you don't!" Videl jumped onto a car and used the leverage of the collapsing roof rebounding to give her some extra launch power toward the incoming robots. She managed to punch one in the eyestalk and sent it careening in the opposite direction.

Sharp reached her side as she hit the ground. The robot's eyestalks blinked as they scanned the two, "Prime life forms detected with above average fighting abilities. Potential threat, exterminate." Guns pointed down at the two teens and started firing.

"Oh crap!" The movement was quick and caught Sharp off guard. He held up his arms as if to defend himself but never felt anything hit him. It took a moment for Videl and Sharp to realize the lense in the center of their armor was glowing in relation to the incoming projectiles.

"I forgot," Videl clenched her fist and smiled, "These suits repel bullets! Let's take these guys out!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Sharp grinned and ran alongside Videl toward the robots despite the incoming hail of ammunition.

* * *

Several streets down, a mass of robots were circling around a stranded group of people with two twins trying to hold off the robots from getting much closer.

"You just had to pick this weekend to come shopping in Satan City, didn't you?" The dark haired boy quipped in frustration as he blasted at the robots. His beam bounced off the robot's shields and they continued to step forward.

"You have to admit the sale was really good, now keep blasting! POWER BLITZ!" The light haired girl threw a large beam at the ground causing chunks pavement to get thrown in the robots direction but it did little more than slow them down.

The boy grit his teeth, he had been tempted to grab the people and fly, but the robots were circling from above as well, "Well I sure hope the new outfit was worth it."

"KIENZAN DISK!" a spinning disk of energy slice clean through the flying Cyclopean Guards and they exploded.

"What was that?" The girl squinted her eyes towards the explosion.

Through the light and debris Krillin descended and landed in front of everyone in a defensive position, "Are you alright Eighteen?"

Recognizing the martial arts master, Eighteen fidgeted a bit, "Fine, but if I wasn't able to scratch these things how the hell did you tear through so many of them that easily?"

"These guys aren't too tough but they've got special shields that protect them," The robots continued coming closer. Krillin pulled off one of his gloves and tossed it towards Eighteen, "Here! put this on and blast them with that hand, you should find you can deal with them fine as long as you're wearing that!"

Eighteen caught the glove that was thrown her way and slid her left hand through it. The wrist panel lit up signaling it was ready, "Just shoot with this hand huh?" Eighteen pointed her hand toward a group of flying Cyclopean Guards and fired. Her energy blast tore through the whole squad of them with ease sending circuitry and steel to the street below. Eighteen's normally stoic face formed a slight grin.

Without wasting any more time, Eighteen flung herself forward into more approaching robots, her gloved hand punched the closest one. From this distance she could actually hear the glove cancelling out the shields of the robot a fraction of a second before her hand ripped through the metal shell and out the other side. With the robot still impaled on her arm she opened her hand and blasted at all of the robots behind it.

Krillin blushed as he gulped while watching her, "Wow…" A hand tapped on Krillin's shoulder, "Huh?" Krillin turned around and saw Seventeen holding his hand expectantly towards him.

* * *

The people behind Gohan weren't able to move with several other squads of Cyclopean Guards approaching from other angles. Videl and Sharp were taking them on one and two a time but Gohan knew they needed to get the people moving.

Videl kicked one robot hard enough to knock its head clean off its body. She turned around and tackled another robot to the ground, crushing its head between her knee and the street.

Sharp ran straight through hail of bullets. One of the Cyclopean Guards tried to punch him once he was in range but Sharp ducked around the metal fist and caught it over his shoulder. He managed to swing his body around the extended arm and pointed it toward other robots as it shot out another salvo of bullets.

The Dragon's winged aura flared as he began pushing his energy shield forward into the barrage of gunfire. The barrier scraped up a layer of pavement as it was pushed along the surface until it reached the robots and began scooping them up like a plow. Once Gohan had the entire platoon of Cyclopean Guards scooped up he converted the defensive energy into an attack and caused the shield to explode taking out the captured robots with it. He turned back around with the flames still burning behind him and pointed his hands forward at the remaining robots, "EVERYONE, GET DOWN!" Videl and Sharp saw the energy building in Gohan's hands and pushed the people who had failed to notice out of the way before Gohan jumped and swiped his arm higher than the tallest standing person, but below the neckline of the attacking machines. The energy wave sliced through the robots like a giant blade and the fell to the ground leaving convulsing servos and electrical sparks.

"Wow…" Sharp looked at the mass of downed robots, "That was awesome!"

Videl looked away and bit her lip.

* * *

One of Yamcha's Sokidan Spirit Balls blasted its way through an alley which the alien machines were using as a corridor to approach another group of people. The controllable ball had gotten further away when more guards approached Yamcha from another alley. Yamcha shot the ball up into the sky before turning around and dropping into a fighting stance, "Wolf Fang Fist!"

Yamcha was in the zone as he combo attacked one robot to the next down the line. With his adrenaline pumping he turned and swung to his side barely realizing that it wasn't a robot there but short bald man instead, "Geez Krillin!"

Krillin looked up from where he had ducked in case he had to avoid a punch, "Sorry, didn't mean to throw you off your game."

Yamcha looked over Krillin a little more carefully and noticed his bare hands, "What happened to your gloves?"

Krillin chuckled slightly, "Well, I came here hoping I could borrow one of yours. I kind of leant mine to Seventeen and Eighteen."

"The androids are here?!" Yamcha looked concerned for a moment.

Krillin nodded, "Yeah, I gave them each a glove and now they're busting some serious robo cans over that way."

Yamcha put a hand over his chest for a moment before he pulled his glove off and handed it to Krillin, "Try not to lose this one."

"Thanks bro!" Krillin put the glove on and powered it back up.

* * *

Vegeta floated over the city with his arms crossed. As he noticed a group of robots below him he'd simply point a finger in their direction and fire. He kept glaring at the towering Big Gete Star while tapping his fingers on the suit's arm band.

The radio on Vegeta's cuff buzzed, "OK everyone, geniuses inbound, ETA two minutes!"

"It's about time!" Vegeta barked as he floated towards the Gete Star to rendezvous.

Erasa looked out the window as Bulma's skycar began to descend just outside the range of the Big Gete Star, "Wow, it's gotten even bigger."

Piccolo was already waiting at the landing site when the car landed and Vegeta approached. Gohan wasn't far behind holding onto Sharp and Videl each by one arm.

Erasa waved to her friends as she ran around to the back of the Skycar and opened the cargo door allowing the Guide Robo to step out. It looked over toward the The Big Gete Star as its eye began flashing while it processed data.

"How do things look?" Erasa asked expectantly.

The Guide Robo looked down at Erasa, "We are still out of range for a wireless link up to the Gete System Mainframe. I will continue to attempt to establish a connection as we approach."

"Alright, then let's head out!" Erasa gave the thumbs up and the group set off toward the base of the Big Gete Star.

"Good luck you guys, I'll be rooting for you!" Bulma waved as she got back into the Skycar and left the area.

The group approached the Big Gete Star from the ground. Gohan looked up at the towering form of the planet eater. The top of it was obscured by clouds and the upper atmosphere, "It's not as big as it was on New Namek yet, but it's definitely tall. Where do you guys think the best place to get inside this thing is going to be?"

"It's hard to say until Grobert is able to connect," Erasa didn't notice the looks the others were giving her.

"Grobert?" Sharp blinked trying to comprehend his sister.

"Yeah! He's a member of the team so we can't just go around calling him Guide Robo, and he likes the name, isn't that right Grobert?" Erasa turned and winked to the robot following behind her.

"My designation was officially updated during the last software patch," Grobert stated.

"That doesn't mean he actually likes it," Sharp teased.

Vegeta scowled, "Are they going to be like this the entire way there?"

Sharp and Erasa both gulped at Vegeta's irritated tone.

Gohan was about to stand up for his friends but surprisingly Piccolo spoke up, "The fact that they are able banter in a situation like this speaks volumes of their character. Though walking into the unknown they have confidence and hearts ready for adventure. They may prove themselves to be far stronger than any of us have given them credit for."

"Hmph…" Vegeta crossed his arms looking uninterested while Sharp and Erasa looked up at Piccolo with wide eyes not sure how to respond. Gohan simply grinned in appreciation to his mentor as continued to lead the way.

Grobert's eye flashed again, "*Beep* We are approaching the defensive barrier."

Gohan nodded and held up his hand. Energy began to collect and the shield near them gave off a glow in response. With a wave of his hand his energy punched a hole in the shield and expanded forming a hole where the entire group could pass through. Erasa paid close attention to the line where Gohan's energy made contact with the alien energy. It visibly sparked as the two energies repulsed each other and she could even detect the faint smell of ozone.

Once inside the barrier Grobert's eye blinked faster, "Within wireless range, connecting… connecting… connecting…"

Erasa watched Grobert with crossed fingers, "Come on, you can do it!"

Grobert's eye solidified, "Connection established. Warning, intrusion attempts detected on multiple data ports. Access on specified ports has been disabled. Downloading update to structure layout and beginning search for prime lifeforms."

Erasa breathed out a sigh of relief, "Let us know as soon as you find something."

Gohan looked over the boney metallic surface of the Gete Star, "Should we blow a hole in this thing and make our way inside?"

Piccolo shook head head, "That didn't work too well earlier. It heals wounds to its structure quickly, and if you're caught in the reforming mass it can drain your energy extremely quickly."

Gohan pulled his hand away from the surface, "How do we get in then?"

Videl pointed further around the structure, "We got in through a factory port that should be near here, follow me!"

The group rounded a corner around one of the arms of the Big Gete Star and Gohan noticed a school bus crushed against the other side of the shield nearby. Sharp caught Gohan's stare and tapped him on the shoulder before quietly pointing at Videl, "She drove it."

"Wow…" Gohan's eyes widened and then he grinned and matched step with his friends again.

"Here!" Videl pointed up toward what looked like a vent on the side of the Gete Star, "It looks higher than it did before though.

Erasa nodded, "Yeah it must have grown a lot since we got in the first time."

Gohan took both Videl and Erasa by the hand and floated them up to the entrance.

Videl quickly took her hand back as soon as they landed, "I didn't ask for any help."

Gohan cringed feeling he must have done something thoughtless, "I'm sorry, I just thought it would be faster this way."

Once everyone was up, the group began making their way through the corridors. It seemed as though the dark walk space went on much further than the teens remembered it from last time, but a lot of loud clanging told them they were approaching an opening. There was a soft light at the end of the tunnel, but once through it everyone had to pause and take in the enormity of the construction floor. The clanging sound was the robots themselves marching from the factory and taking position in a gigantic assembly room to await deployment orders.

"I thought there were a lot of these outside," Sharp gulped as he looked around.

Gohan nodded, "This group is intended to harvest more than Satan City, they'll be after the world and we won't be enough to save everyone."

"Then we stop them now," Vegeta simply floated towards the robots.

A Cyclopean Guard happened to look up and noticed Vegeta's approach. It's optical sensors zoomed in on Vegeta's face and began to analyze the image. The Cyclopean Guard's eye immediately turned to an intensively bright red, "ALERT! MONSTER OF DESTRUCTION DETECTED! BEGIN SELF PRESERVATION MODE ALPHA!" All of the guards activated and turned to face Vegeta.

Gohan landed at Vegeta's side, "Oh yeah, I forgot this thing considers you and my dad to be these terrible monsters."

Vegeta smirked, "So it remembers me…" Vegeta took a few steps closer to the mass of robots.

Videl watched closely from her position on the catwalk, "So he's one of the two monsters it was talking about before?"

Vegeta held an open hand towards the robots and many of the robots took steps back, "Metal and ones and zeros offer you no protection from a very basic universal truth." The robots looked to each other as if contemplating the statement before looking back towards Vegeta, "That all should fear _me_." With a wave of his hand, hundreds of the one eyed robots exploded. The rest immediately charged forward.

Gohan joined Vegeta in blasting at the robots as they approached. Between the two of them robotic parts were beginning to form gigantic mounds on the floor. The motions of their arms were little more than blurs to the spectators as they launched what seemed to be hundreds of energy blasts a second.

"They're incredible!" Sharp exclaimed while watching thousands of explosions go off around the room.

"*Beep* I have located the holding place for prime lifeforms, it would appear that Mr. Satan is still being held there but will be processed soon," Grobert finally announced.

Videl visibly tensed, "We need to get there fast then!"

Erasa ran to the side of the catwalk, "Grobert found Mr. Satan, we need to move!"

"You go with them," Vegeta barked at Gohan.

"But there are a lot of these things!" Gohan fired off several more blasts as he dodged other shots targeted at him.

"Don't insult me, these are nothing!" Vegeta let loose another wide wave destroying another row of robots, "Hurry and find that buffoon so we can be done with this!"

"Okay!" Gohan flew back up to the catwalk and the group ran from the factory room.

Vegeta walked quietly around the large group of robots, "Honestly I just couldn't stand all the team work bravado that oozes off those brats, so be enough of a challenge that I don't regret staying behind." A flash of light filled the room as Vegeta's hair changed from black to a brilliant gold and he flew through more robots, tearing them up with practically little more than his overpowering aura.

The remaining group ran through several corridors empty corridors lit only by dim blue and orange luminescence panels.

"*Beep* The Gete Star System is aware of our presence and is making motions to counter our advancement." Grobert Reported.

Erasa looked around, "Do you know what it's going to do?"

Grobert's eye flickered, "It will begin by dispatching the immune system response."

Sharp stopped, "You don't mean those spider things do you?"

"Cleansing agents will initiate the first phase," on cue several vents around them opened and dozens of the four legged robots crawled out and the lasers on their back targeted the group.

Piccolo punched forward, his arm extended drastically. he managed to scoop up many of the approaching robots and push them all back inside the vent they crawled out of. The sound of metal crushing could be heard through the wall as Piccolo continued to push them deep inside the wall before his arm expanded with energy and he released an Explosive Wave into their chute.

All three of the human teens watched with their mouths hanging open as Piccolo's arm returned to its original size. Videl gulped, "So I guess his ability to transform into a giant wasn't an illusion or a trick…"

More of the small robots exited vents on the other side of the wall and began firing. As before the suits protected their wearers and didn't allow the the blasts to penetrate the defensive fields. Sharp and Videl started kicking at the small bug like robots.

Piccolo noticed the small laser cannons on these robots weren't able to affect even the teens with their armor on, "We ignore these for now, keep moving!"

Grobert continued to lead the way forward. His repaired weapon systems extended and he began to rapidly target and shoot at anything hostile in front of him while the others hung close behind. Gohan walked backward throwing blasts at the cleansing robots behind them, blowing up whole rooms to keep the crawlers from swarming on them.

Grobert hesitated for a moment before walking on, "Phase two of the immune system will be initiating soon, by my estimation it will pose a greater threat than the cleansing units by a factor of ten."

Sharp gulped, "Is that bad?"

"You guys need to be careful!" Gohan shouted as he kept blasting at the robots encroaching from behind, "These small fry are no big deal but the suits defenses may not be able to withstand the energy blasts of something a lot more powerful."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine!" Videl assured as she kept a sharp eye for anything unusual.

The group entered a round cylinder like room, looking up it was impossible to tell how high the ceiling was from where they were standing. Grobert examined the structure, "We must ascend to a higher level to find Mr. Satan but the system is currently on lockdown. Miss the one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail! We may require your abilities to restore power to the lift system."

Sharp's eye twitched, "Why haven't you changed your name on Grobert's system yet?"

"I kind of like it, at least someone respects my abilities around here," Erasa winked playfully as she pulled out her tablet.

Gohan couldn't suppress chuckling from their antics, "You've earned my respect many times over the one and only Erasa the great, all hail! All hail!"

"Erasa the great? That has a good ring to it too…" Erasa hummed while hacking back into the Gete Star System.

"*Beep* Incoming level two immune system response from above!" Grobert moved towards the center of the elevator platform and looked up causing the others to assume a similar defense.

Many red lights became visible in the tube above and were falling. Videl tried to squint her eyes to get a better look but it was too dark, "What are they?"

A large robot landed on the platform beside the group. It had four legs, was a copper like color and had a single glowing red eye, "*Beep* Welcome to the Big Gete Star, your threat level has exceeded the maximum tolerance, you will now be exterminated."

"Guide Robos…" Gohan gulped, "Upgraded Guide Robos."

Piccolo wasted no time in grabbing the robot's eye stalk and ripping it out before tossing the hunk of metal out from the elevator shaft. Immediately three more Guide Robos landed beside them. Gohan's fist impaled one of them in the chest before kicking it back into the next room also.

"Can you help them?" Erasa asked Grobert.

"*Beep* I will try," gun turrets rose through the slots in Grobert's arms and he started firing at the descending Guide Robos. The bullets seemed to bounce off the armor of the new Guide Robos though.

Erasa panicked as she watched the Guide Robos approach, "It's no good, they're upgraded beyond what Grobert can deal with!"

"Focus on getting this thing moving!" Videl stood ready at Grobert's side, "We'll help keep things under control here!"

A Guide Robo landed beside Videl and immediately the girl lunged at it, landing a hit square to the robot's core. Besides a metallic bell like clang that rang out through the elevator shaft, Videl's punch had no other effect.

The robot pulled its arm back and swung towards Videl. Videl braced herself and felt the force of the air blow past her head, but the blow hit something besides her. Opening her eyes she saw Gohan in front of her, he bent the arm of the robot back, the metal making a groaning sound as it warped under the force of Gohan's strength, then he kicked it out of the way.

"These things have gotten a lot stronger, you guys need to keep down!" Gohan ordered before taking on the next one.

Videl bit her lip out of frustration as she tried to keep up with watching Gohan and Piccolo decimate the bulky robots with relative ease, "Damn it… how are they so strong?"

Two of the robots which Gohan and Piccolo thought were already destroyed reactivated and charged at the teens from behind. Grobert saw the robots coming and put himself between Erasa and the attacking machines. The larger Guide Robo threw a punch and completely tore through Grobert's core armor.

Erasa's eyes widened, "GROBERT!"

Grobert spasmed, still impaled by the robot's arm. Noticing a weak spot where one of the others had already attacked the unit, Grobert inserted his gun almost directly into the cracked armor and began firing. The Guide Robo shorted out and began to fall, its weight taking Grobert down with it. The second Guide Robo was still approaching Erasa but as Grobert fell he reached out and grabbed the Guide Robo's leg, tripping it as well. The Guide Robo looked over to where its leg was caught in Grobert's grip and began kicking at the offending arm. Grobert refused to let go and eventually the Guide Robo sat itself up and smashed its fist down on Grobert's arm, crushing it to get him to release its leg.

The machine turned back around in time to see Gohan's fist slam into its eye stalk with enough force to splatter the mechanical components against the far wall.

Erasa's ears stopped up as she watched Grobert writhe on the floor. Gohan jumped up and fired more blasts into the air at other approaching robots, but even those sounds were little more than gunshots in the distance. Videl and Sharp ran over to Grobert and began to pull him away from being directly under the fighting. Erasa saw Videl's mouth move, but her words were like some distant echo, "Erasa! Do it!"

Erasa shook her head and looked back to her tablet. She almost had the firewall breached. She entered a few more commands and inserted a data packet into the system. In another minute all of the open doors to the elevator shaft finally closed and the platform itself began to vibrate.

"You did it!" Sharp yelled gratefully.

Erasa dropped her tablet and kneeled beside Grobert, "Grobert! Are you okay? Talk to me!"

"*Beep* System damage at sixty seven perce… *Beep* System damage at sixty eight per… *Beep* System damage at sixty nine percent…" Grobert informed, "Energy core rupture, total system collapse estimated in three minutes."

Tears stained Erasa's face. The others could hardly watch, "Why Grobert? Why would you get yourself hurt like that?"

The light behind Grobert's eye flashed, "You are my the one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail! And I learned much from my short timespan with you as my primary user."

"You weren't…" Erasa sniffed trying to collect her thoughts.

"*Beep*" Grobert blipped almost as if to hush Erasa, "The prime life form you seek, Mr. Satan, take this platform to level eighty two J, he will be in the holding tank not far down the primary corridor of that level."

"Thank you," Erasa squeezed Grobert's good hand, even though was sure he couldn't sense the pressure through his steel frame.

Grobert's eye lit up brighter, "*Beep* Alert, the third phase of the immune system response has been activated."

Piccolo and Gohan stepped forward. Though he wanted to give Erasa and Grobert some space Gohan had to know what was coming. He kneeled by the fallen robot, "What is it, and where?"

Grobert's eye blinked as it processed data, "Not here… The level three response is focused elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Gohan looked around, "Why?"

Grobert looked straight at Gohan, "The monster!"

* * *

The factory was littered with sparking debris all along the floor. Near mountains of parts and rubble lined every visible surface.

The Saiyan Prince sat atop one of the piles of parts looking over his handiwork, "That was utterly disappointing, I had my hopes up of finding a challenge in this place."

A mound of parts behind Vegeta began to liquify and melted into the floor.

"I suppose I should go find the brats and assist them…" Vegeta stood from his hill and floated up as it too liquified and began to join the mass of components.

"Though if what they're up against is anywhere near as pathetic as this room then there is little chance they would need me there any longer." Behind Vegeta, the liquid metal began forming wires and components as a humanoid like figure rose from the metallic goop.

Vegeta tsked, "Though if that punk were to tell the woman that I abandoned them in this place I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it, blast it all…"

A metal thunk finally got Vegeta's attention as he turned around and noticed the entire room of parts had emptied, and now standing before him was a figure only slightly taller than he was, two arms, two legs, a thick tail, and no face, "What the?!"

A single red eye formed where the face would have gone and two fingers pointed at Vegeta. "Cooler?!" The prince looked stunned as a death ray shot from the being's fingers, broke through the suit's defenses, and struck Vegeta in the chest.

Vegeta yelled as he fell from the air and hit the ground. His teeth ground tight as he looked up at the Cooler look alike, "That's… not… possible!"

The Cooler pointed its fingers at Vegeta again, "*BEEP!*"

* * *

**End Chapter**

I'm not sure what to think of this chapter. I swear this chapter was written a paragraph a week so I'm not convinced it flows too well. It wasn't my intention to have a chapter out for the holidays, but I really wanted to get back to writing and sort of just forced myself to sit here and write, even if I didn't like it and my thought process wasn't really in the right place I just forced myself to write. This doesn't quite mean that a new chapter will be up next week, but I'll try.

Thanks again for all your support everyone. It really means alot to me.

I hope everyone else out there had a great Winter's Day. I'll keep trying my best to hang in here as well.

'Til next time


	15. Hollow Shell of Revenge

Sorry for leaving so much time between updates. Life's been a little rough lately. Depression hasn't been helping me get much accomplished, I'm also kind of homeless and shifting back and forth between places I can stay so that hasn't helped my productivity much.

I'm not giving up on doing the things I enjoy though. This story has just barely begun and I want to see it through. I'm not gonna say that my updates are going to suddenly get more regular but I'm gonna keep trying.

Thank you to everyone who is still reading, I'll do my best to keep making something worthwhile here.

* * *

I'm still replying to every review I get, but I've now moved my replies to Tumblr so I can respond with extra detail. Please visit my Tumblr page at revu-review dot tumblr dot com or do a search on Tumblr for #RevuReplies and they should all pop up.

Thank you so much for reading and see you at the bottom.

* * *

**Last Time on Dragonball Legend**

The Big Gete Star began its invasion of earth. Legions of Cyclopean Guards marched the streets to collect humans for its own purposes. Before any humans could be captured, the Z-Fighters arrived, all clad in the battle armor developed by Bulma to tune their energy to frequencies capable of smashing through their enemies shielding.

Bulma and Erasa arrived with the Grobert, the repurposed Guide Robo, and the search through the Gete Star for Mr. Satan began. Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo consistently proved to be more than a match for anything the Gete Star threw their way which seemed to make Videl only more anxious that she and her friends were completely reliant on the support of others.

The longer the group remained inside the Gete Star, the stronger the opponents were sent at them. Without Vegeta's support, Gohan and Piccolo were overrun by upgraded Guide Robos to the point that Grobert stepped in to help defend the other teens. Outnumbered and outclassed, Grobert defended the teens but suffered more damage than his systems could take. In his dying moments he told the others where Mr. Satan was located but also warned them a new defensive phase of the Gete Star was activated.

Elsewhere within the Big Gete Star, Vegeta sat bored atop piles of Cyclopean Guards he had destroyed. He failed to notice the parts being reassimilated back into the star until he was blasted out of the air by a gete recreation of Cooler.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Hollow Shell of Revenge**

* * *

The large elevator continued its ascent up the shaft of the Gete Star. The ride was somber and silent, and the elevator moved at an appropriately slow pace.

Grobert's eye was flashing in long pulses, each one becoming dimmer than the last. Erasa still clutched onto Grobert's steel hand, "I can't just leave him here…"

"Erasa…" Videl patted her friend on the shoulder.

"I can fix him!" Erasa implored, "If we can just get him out of here then I know I can fix him!"

Videl put her arms around Erasa's shoulders to help calm her down, "We can't just drag him through the rest of this place."

Sharp could only sigh as he found himself unable to say anything to console his sister either.

"Videl is correct," Grobert's voice buzzed through his vocal speaker.

"No, Grobert, you're not just some hunk of metal that can be thrown away," Erasa's hand brushed over Grobert's eye stalk, "there's more to you than that, I saw it. You're curious and have a sense of right and wrong that I never programmed into you."

"I was manufactured, one of many Guide Robos produced by The Big Gete Star," Grobert spoke in a monotone voice that was slowly filling with more static, "The only thing that sets me apart from any other creation here is that I was changed by you."

Erasa looked more determined, "You are special and we're going to get you out of here!"

"Negative, you must continue without me," Grobert's eye began to grow dimmer, "Having your friends drag me behind you would reduce their capability to defend you, and I cannot allow that."

Erasa's mouth hung open not sure how to respond to the robot, "Even now you're putting others ahead of yourself."

"Protecting the primary user was always my program, before you my primary user was the Gete Star System itself," Grobert used what little remaining energy he had left to gently cup Erasa's hands, "Your primary function should be to find your happiness, whatever it is, you must do that."

"Grobert, I…" tears stained Erasa's face. The others finally began to see Grobert as a little more than 'just a robot'.

"Good bye the one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All ha…" the light completely gave out in Grobert's eye and all of his joints went limp.

Erasa turned back to her best friend collapsed into Videl's embrace. Her eyes were still puffy and tear stained as she gazed pleadingly at the boy in the dragon costume over Videl's shoulder. Her stare was screaming please to him even if she remained verbally silent.

Gohan kneeled beside his friends, "We have to save Mr. Satan first, but once we have him we'll have to come back this way to leave. I can't promise anything, but if I can do it without endangering anyone else, I'll get Grobert out of here."

Erasa jumped from Videl to Gohan and hugged him too, "I understand, thank you."

Gohan hugged Erasa back, nodding into the side of her head before looking up at the approaching level, "Looks like we've made it…"

The elevator slowed to a stop. Gohan and Piccolo stood in front of the others just in case something was ready to jump at them. The door opened and the hall in front of them was empty.

Gohan tiptoed out first and looked around to make sure there was no kind of trap waiting to be sprung on them, "I don't see anything."

"I don't like this," Piccolo crossed his arms as he carefully examined the hallway, "The Gete Star knows we were in the elevator, there has to be something going on…"

Erasa pulled out her tablet, "Or maybe like Grobert said, the Gete Star is moving all of its defensive capabilities to fight 'The Monster'."

"I'm sure Vegeta can take of himself though," Gohan walked further into the hall, "We find Mr. Satan first, then we'll go check on Vegeta."

Videl stepped out behind Gohan, "Okay, but just in case we should probably…" A chilling low tone scream echoed through the hallway causing everyone's blood to immediately run cold, "That's my dad!"

Without even thinking Videl pushed past Gohan and began charging down the hall. Gohan and the others were right behind her as she reached the door at the end of the hall. Videl began smashing the button to the side of the door, "It won't open!"

Gohan jumped at the door and kicked it from the top, knocking it free from its supports in the wall and dropped it to the floor in the next room.

Inside the next room, Mr. Satan was strapped to a table as a saw and lasers were inches away from carving into his face.

A small guide robo beside Mr. Satan looked over the group, "I can understand your impatience, but I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait your turn."

Piccolo rushed into the room and with his outstretched hand sliced through the apparatus over Mr. Satan's head. Hunks of metal and sharp tools fell from the ceiling and collapsed on either side of Mr. Satan's afro. The man went blue in the face as he looked from Piccolo to the saw embedded in the table next to his head, and promptly fainted.

"Hey! You can't do that!" The guide robo waved its arms at Piccolo as Gohan used super speed to dash around behind it and dove his elbow into its back, the force of which blew the robot into hundreds of pieces.

"Dad!" Videl climbed onto the table and started slapping her dad's face, "What's wrong with him?"

Piccolo looked down at the man whose eyes were rolled back into his head and drool escaped the side of his mouth, "He'll be fine, it was just a little too much for him to deal with all at once…"

Realizing there was nothing physically wrong with her father, Videl simply shook her head, "Oh dad…"

* * *

Vegeta threw himself to the air above his opponent, "Cooler?! No…"

The Cooler replica looked up at Vegeta, the large red eye in the center of its face gave off a brighter light as it remained locked onto Vegeta's position, "*Beep*"

Vegeta smiled in his cocky way as he took in all of what was in front of him, "You're just a bad facsimile of what Cooler once was, what happened? Was someone on the phone while you were trying to dial in?"

"*Beep*" The Meta-Cooler's knees bent a fraction of a second before he launched himself at Vegeta.

"What the?!" Vegeta couldn't even get his hands up to block before the smooth cranium on the Meta-Cooler smashed into his lower jaw.

Vegeta flipped himself into an upright position before sliding across the floor, "You are going to regret that!" Vegeta's energy built up wildly, his fiery aura lit up the entire room as he launched himself forward. He punched through the Meta-Cooler with such force that it completely tore off its arm at the shoulder. Vegeta hadn't even cleared any distance as the arm regrew itself and dropped an elbow hard over Vegeta's back as he was still flying through.

"OOOF!" Vegeta was pounded into the floor with a metal cracking crash. The Meta-Cooler fired off another blast but Vegeta was able to roll out of the way.

Once on his feet, Vegeta examined the mechanical arm still in his grip, and the complete lack of damage to the Meta-Cooler in front of him. Vegeta tossed the severed arm aside and then smiled again, "Finally, a challenge in this place worthy of my time!"

Energy began to crackle around Vegeta's body as streams of golden light flowed up from the ground around him. Vegeta yelled as his aura burst into a bright gold and he transformed into a super saiyan.

The Meta-Cooler stood its ground as if it were studying Vegeta.

Vegeta pointed a finger at the Meta-Cooler, "How many times must the likes of Frieza and his kin be put in their place?" Vegeta smirked before disappearing from sight in super speed. His fist made impact with the Meta-Cooler leaving a shockwave and thunder behind it.

Vegeta's eye quirked as he noticed the Meta-Cooler had actually caught his fist in its left hand. The right hand came forward threatening to punch Vegeta in the face but Vegeta likewise caught the approaching fist in his left hand. The two entered a stalemate grapple pushing back and forth against each other. Vegeta yelled as his aura intensified and drew out more power causing the room to quake.

The eye of the Meta-Cooler gave off a much brighter red glow, "*Beep*" Vegeta barely managed to duck out of the way as a huge beam fired from the red eye and blasted through several layers of the Gete Star's wall.

With a twist of his wrist, Vegeta managed to break free of the Meta-Coolers hold. He turned underneath the machine's line of sight before rising up with a fierce uppercut. Meta-Cooler halted its backwards motion and launched itself forward kicking Vegeta once with one leg, carrying the motion through and kicking Vegeta's side again with its other leg, and pushed through further whipping at Vegeta with its tail which drove Vegeta to the ground.

Vegeta began to push himself up again when Meta-Cooler's eye gave off another deadly light and it blasted at Vegeta from across the room. The walls at the back of the room were melted from the intensity of Meta-Cooler's laser. Vegeta was imbedded within the mess and didn't appear to be moving.

Meta-Cooler slowly approached Vegeta, each step it took gave off a threatening clack on the floor. It looked down and examined Vegeta. The eye began to glow again, ready to finish Vegeta off. At close range Vegeta's hands came forward, meeting only centimeters in front of Meta-Cooler's cyclopean eye, "FINAL FLASH!"

The intense beam of energy tore through Meta-Cooler and the entirety of the Gete Star. From the outside it looked as though an outrageous beam of light had burst through the wall of The Big Gete Star and carried off into the sky.

Vegeta pushed himself to his feet and scanned over the room. Faint light was filtering in through all of the holes they'd made to the outside world, but everything was still incredibly dim. He focused his senses to feel out anything that might be moving, though it was difficult with all of the sparking wires and failing manufacturing machines.

Wires began to slowly rise out of the ground near Vegeta's feet. Vegeta failed to notice as the wires formed hands and grabbed onto his ankles before ripping him through the floor. Vegeta was thrown to the ground as Meta-Cooler's eye glowed in preparation of another laser blast.

"Curse super regenerating alien freaks!" Vegeta put up his arms to block the blast that was coming.

* * *

The entire Gete Star shook violently, knocking Videl off the table from where she had been checking on her father. She easily caught herself as everyone grabbed on to something to steady themselves.

"What was that?!" Sharp shouted worriedly once everything stopped shaking.

Gohan looked down as if he was gazing through the floor, "Vegeta's getting serious, something must be going on down there…"

Sharp looked shocked by Gohan's statement, "How can you tell it's Vegeta?"

Without thinking Gohan simply replied, "He transformed into a super saiyan, so he must be fighting something strong."

Erasa looked over the table at Gohan as well, "Super saiyan?"

Gohan finally realized he was backing himself into another question corner, "Sorry, I'll explain later, but I can sense how much energy Vegeta is using in his fight, and… he's using more energy right now than I have period…"

Piccolo eyed Gohan curiously but didn't say anything as he watched the quick explanation play out.

The three teenagers nodded understanding that whatever was going on below was involving someone stronger than Gohan who they had seen do unbelievable things already.

The entire Gete Star quaked again as all of the lights in the room went out. "What the heck?!" Sharp shouted in surprise. A few dim red lights turned on, but the room stayed very dark.

Gohan switched on a flashlight built into his helmet, "I don't know if this is good or not…"

Erasa was already navigating through systems on her tablet, "The Gete Star System seems to be pulling all of its resources. If I'm reading this right then the power reactors are running at maximum capacity, but all the energy is being directed to one place."

"It's all being used to fight Vegeta…" Gohan bit his lip for a short moment, "I have to help him."

Piccolo put a hand in front of Gohan, "Not yet, our first priority is to get everyone to safety then we'll regroup and deal with this."

Gohan nodded, "You're right, okay let's go then."

Piccolo lifted Mr. Satan from the table and slung the large man over his shoulder. There was another shake through the floor as Gohan led the way back down the hall, "Erasa, is there anyway you can route some power to the elevator to get it wor…" Gohan stopped at the entrance of the elevator shaft and looked down. The whole platform was nowhere to be seen, and Gohan's light didn't shine far enough down to see where it went.

Erasa's eyes opened wide as she ran to the edge and looked down, "Grobert was still on the elevator!"

Gohan held Erasa back, "I'm sorry… we're going to have to find a safer way down."

"Can't you just carry us down there?!" Erasa pleaded.

Gohan looked down and sighed, "I could…"

Piccolo stepped forward, "We're finding another way."

"But why?!" Erasa demanded.

Piccolo gave Erasa a stern glare, "If just the two of us were to carry all of you down then there would be no way to defend against anything else that proved to be aggressive. We'd all be vulnerable, so the answer is no."

No one questioned Piccolo once he made his decision. Gohan helped Erasa up and gave her a sympathetic look as they followed Piccolo down another corridor, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Erasa nodded glumly.

"Gohan, we need the light up front," Piccolo called back and immediately Gohan hopped to the head of the group and shined the light forward.

"This place is huge, how are we going to find another way back down?" Gohan looked from side to side trying to make sense out of all of the corridors.

Once again the Gete Star quaked violently causing everyone to secure their footing or reach for a wall.

"We definitely need to get out of here fast!" Videl checked over Sharp and Erasa to make sure they were okay.

"Hey look!" Sharp pointed at a doorway with a red bar on the bottom of the door, "All the stairwells we used earlier had bars like that on them."

Gohan ran over to the doorway and forced it open revealing an auxiliary stair well, "Good eye Sharp!"

"And observant too!" Videl winked approvingly at Sharp.

Piccolo readjusted Mr. Satan on his shoulder, "Alright, now keep moving."

* * *

"Kienzan disk!" Krillin threw his signature destructo disk at a large group of cyclopean guards and managed to mow down a squad of them almost effortlessly.

Krillin was smiling looking over his work when a cyclopean guard came up behind him with its arm raised in the air ready to strike him from behind. A blue blast tore through the machine before it had a chance though.

"Whoa!" Krillin quickly turned around, startled by the explosion behind him.

"That should make us even now," Krillin looked up and saw Eighteen floating in the sky above him. He immediately realized she was the one who blew up the robot that almost clobbered him.

"I guess it does, thanks!" Krillin grinned while rubbing his smooth head in embarrassment.

Seventeen crossed his arms as he watched the scene play out, "What a dweeb…"

"Hmph…" Eighteen brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face and looked up to notice another large battalion of cyclopean guards marching their way.

Yamcha and Tien set down on the ground beside Krillin, "Looks like they're reorganizing for one last hurrah."

The cyclopean guards picked up the pace and started sprinting forward towards the defending Z-Fighters. Krillin and the others held their hands forward ready to counter attack the invading machines.

The two forces were less than twenty meters away of colliding with each other when the lights on all of the cyclopean guards went out and they immediately collapsed to the ground, most of them dragged along by their running momentum for several meters.

Krillin and the others looked shocked as all of their robot enemies fell like dominoes on the ground in front of them.

"What happened?" Tien asked while examining the mess.

"Maybe we're just so awesome they shorted out?" Yamcha asked playfully.

"I bet it has something to do with Gohan and the others," Krillin pointed out.

A huge beam fired into the sky from the direction of the Big Gete Star. Yamcha held his hand over his eyes to shield them from the light, "Well I guess that answers that question."

Krillin became anxious watching the energy fade off into space, "Come on guys, let's go!"

* * *

The wall to a store room within the Gete Star burst open as Vegeta was punched through it. His armor was badly singed and hanging off certain areas like torn rags. Blood dripped from his lip as he rolled to a stop and stood once again before the Meta-Cooler, "What, is that all?

"*Beep*" The Meta-Cooler's arm expanded as if gaining muscle mass and punched Vegeta in the stomach. Vegeta's pupils dilated as the punch rippled through his body. Quickly recovering though, Vegeta grabbed onto the Meta-Cooler's arm and began spinning him around. He let go tossing the mechanoid frost demon across the room, and with his arms still extended blasted a barrage of powerful energy blasts.

Every blast that hit gave off a plume of light and smoke, but Vegeta continued letting loose with everything he had. The Meta-Cooler's head emerged from the smoke while Vegeta was still blasting at it, "Beep*" it punched Vegeta across the jaw sending him crashing into the far wall. "*Beep*" while Vegeta was down it fired another eye laser at him raising another curtain of smoke and debris.

Meta-Cooler stood back and waited for any movement or signs of counter attack. The dust began to settle and through it the outline of a still standing Vegeta could be seen, "I hope you're ready, I'm just warming up!"

Though obviously hurting, more energy built up around Vegeta's body. The bolts of static struck nearby electronics, causing screens to light up temporarily before exploding. The entire star shook again as Vegeta kicked off and planted his fist into the Meta-Cooler's core.

"*Beep*" Meta-Cooler looked down at Vegeta's fist which had impaled its chest.

Vegeta created a ball of energy inside Meta Cooler's body and set it off, causing the mechanoid to explode into pieces which were scattered across the room.

Wires began rearranging themselves out of the various components of the Meta-Cooler as he put himself back together.

"Not this time!" Vegeta tucked himself inward for a moment to gather explosive energy before he spread his arms and released a shockwave from his very core, "HAAAAAA!"

The explosion ripped through several layers of innards of The Big Gete Star.

Vegeta set himself down on the new floor of the hollowed out star. His hair turned back to black as he attempted to quickly catch his breath. All around him were sparks of severed wires and mechanical components, and many areas within the star were collapsing on itself with so much of the support structure destroyed.

Several deep breaths later Vegeta began taking cautious looks around the area, "Give me a break, I know you're not done yet."

* * *

Gohan and the others were running down flights of stairs as quickly as they could. It seemed as though the further down they went the more violent the shakes became.

"This is taking forever!" Sharp complained.

"Just keep running!" Videl ordered.

"We were higher up than any skyscraper that's ever been built, of course it's going to be a long way down," Erasa chastised as they all kept moving.

"This stairway is ending," Gohan announced before he reached the bottom and tackled the door to the next room down.

Gohan stopped moving as the others caught up to him from behind, "What's in th…"

Gohan turned around with a finger up to his lips immediately hushing everyone. Once they were all in the room and Gohan flashed the light from side to side.

"It's like… a waiting room… for guide robos…" Sharp gulped as he looked around.

"These ones though," Erasa took a long look at the ones the light fell upon, "These have enhancements beyond the ones we already fought on the elevator."

"So let's try not to wake them up," Videl hissed.

The others nodded as they quietly stepped through the room. These guide robos were gigantic compared to the last ones they fought, and there were dozens of them lined up against every wall of the long room they found themselves in.

Piccolo grit his teeth as he tried to calculate what he could do if all of them were to suddenly activate.

Gohan continued to shine the light ahead looking for a way out. A door came into his view and he pointed it out to the others when the red light in the room intensified. The sound of machinery turning on filled their ears and immediately panicked the teenagers. They ran forward towards the door with Gohan paying close attention for any movement. Several screens in the room turned on and Gohan could just make out the words, "Emergency Repurpose System Response Activated." Gohan spent a moment wondering what that meant when the guide robos around the room began to melt.

"What the?" Sharp stopped running and looked around the room with his mouth agape as the boney metal contraptions were all slowly reduced to slag and absorbed through the floor.

Everyone stopped running and watched the scene awkwardly play out.

Erasa took a look at the screen and tried to deduce what was happening, "It's like they're being recycled, taken down so their parts and energy can be for something else."

Videl nodded, "This place needs a lot of energy to sustain itself, and if the fight against that Vegeta guy is as hard as it seems to be…"

Gohan nodded, "Then the Gete Star would be clawing for energy everywhere it can…" The Gete Star shook again, almost knocking a few of them off their feet, "We need to get out of here fast!"

The teens ran from the room, quickly finding another red marked door to take further down. Everyone was running as fast as they could in what seemed like circles as they spiralled down.

The Gete Star gave off another series of violent tremors. Everyone reached for the wall to steady themselves but the shaking didn't stop.

Gohan put his hand against the wall and saw a series of cracks working their way across the boney structure, "Oh no…" Looking over his shoulder he saw that Videl and the others couldn't have possibly noticed over the shaking of the ground beneath them. Gohan kicked forward in their direction as the stairs under his feet began to collapse into nothing. He quickly swung Sharp over his back before he grabbed onto Videl and Erasa just as the entire stairwell collapsed.

"Holy shit!" Sharp yelled as he watched the ground they had just been standing on fall what looked like a thousand feet down. The hollowed out area resembled a giant sphere.

Videl and Erasa clung tight to Gohan's arms as they floated high over nothing, "What happened here?"

Gohan's eyes darted quickly from point to point trying to get a grasp on the situation, "Where's Vegeta…"

A scream from far below got their attention as they locked in on the sight of the Meta-Cooler landing it's knee into Vegeta's stomach.

"OH NO!" Erasa couldn't help but shout as Vegeta looked beat up even from their distance.

The Meta-Cooler stopped and stared up at them, their image reflected in its red eye, "*Beep*"

"HOLD ON!" Gohan shouted as the Meta-Cooler lunged at them.

The Meta-Cooler flew up to them faster than the teens could even watch. Piccolo made the first move and kicked the mechanical copy to the side to buy some time. "Here, catch!" Piccolo ordered as he tossed Mr. Satan into the air.

A panicked look came over Gohan's face as he watched Mr. Satan rise, "Grab onto my neck!" Gohan lifted Videl and Erasa higher so they could climb around him like Sharp clung to him. With his arms free he was able to catch the still unconscious Mr. Satan.

"Get them out of here!" Piccolo ordered before his ki flared and he launched himself after the Meta-Cooler.

Gohan grit his teeth as he flew everyone down to a better position.

Piccolo's arm clashed against the Meta-Cooler but the machine managed a defense first and swung Piccolo away from it. Barely phased, Piccolo rushed back into the fray and threw a barrage of punches and kicks. The Meta-Cooler dodged each attack before slapping Piccolo across the face, sending him the ground.

Piccolo slid to a stop as Vegeta was standing up. "Don't interfere," Vegeta waved his hand groggily in front of the namek, "I don't need your help."

"Shut up and start focusing on bigger things than your ego!" Piccolo barked before attacking Meta-Cooler again.

Gohan found stable ground and set everyone down. He quickly ran to the edge and watched the fight between Piccolo and the Meta-Cooler. His fist clenched tighter every time he saw Piccolo take a hit.

"What do we do?" Erasa asked, finally pulling Gohan away from the battle.

"We…" Gohan looked unsure, "We need to get out of here, but…"

Piccolo took another hard punch to the gut which launched him across the open sphere.

Gohan once again lost his train of thought as he watched Piccolo take a beating.

"Gohan," he turned and saw his three friends nod to him and Videl continued, "Help him, we'll find cover."

A sigh escaped Gohan's mouth as he nodded to his friends, "Whatever happens, you have to stay safe!"

Visible energy began circling across Gohan's body. The energy began to glow brighter until it became a brilliant gold. The force of his transformation blew the helmet off Gohan's head and it clattered to the ground nearby. Gohan ducked for a moment before he launched himself up towards the battle.

"Wow…" Erasa watched with starry eyes as Gohan flew off.

"Ohh… Super Saiyan, I get it know," Sharp nodded to himself.

Piccolo pushed himself up through fallen rubble and looked up as the Meta-Cooler was almost upon him again. Meta-Cooler's fist was swinging towards his face when a young super saiyan crashed down over the mechanoid with both feet first. The force of the impact sent Meta-Cooler ricocheting through several chunks of rubble.

Piccolo grumbled as he climbed to his feet, "I told you to get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving anyone behind, and that includes you and Vegeta!" Gohan spoke with more resolve than Piccolo could argue against.

Meta-Cooler pushed itself up into the air and floated over the area. Gohan flew up, initiating a challenge and the two circled each other. Gohan broke the stare down first as he charged in to kick his opponent again. Once Gohan was invested in his attack, Meta-Cooler vanished from sight, appearing at Gohan's side in a vertical spin which slapped Gohan across the face with its tail, sending him falling to the ground like a meteor.

"That looked like it hurt…" Sharp whispered as all three teens winced after feeling the ground shake from Gohan's impact.

Erasa gulped worriedly, "Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine…" Videl said as much to herself as to the others.

Vegeta was up against the Meta-Cooler again. He grunted as he punched right, then left, the two of them rose higher above the ground driving attacks at each other. Vegeta blocked a blow from the mechanoid, but it quickly rolled around Vegeta's defense and brought its elbow down over the back of his neck sending him to the ground again.

Gohan saw Vegeta falling and flipped himself back onto his feet and ran forward. The Meta-Cooler saw Gohan approaching and pointed a finger Gohan's way. A series of death beams shot out from Meta-Cooler's finger. Gohan moved so quickly it looked as though his image faded from left to right with each dodge he made. Once in front of Meta-Cooler, Gohan disappeared into super speed entirely, appearing instead at Meta-Cooler's left side with a kick heading for the robot's head. Moving faster than expected, Meta-Cooler grabbed onto Gohan's ankle and flipped him through the air before smashing him into the ground on the other side of its swinging arch.

There was no time for Gohan to recover as he felt himself pulled again by the grip which hadn't left his ankle and he was smashed again into the floor on Meta-Cooler's other side. The back and forth swinging continued for at least five more crushing slams before an energy beam hit Meta-Cooler's arm causing him to drop the boy.

Piccolo jumped between Meta-Cooler and Gohan and punched fiercely at the mechanoid. Two hits from Piccolo landed before Meta-Cooler dodged the third and countered Piccolo's assault with a kick to the knee before it wrapped Piccolo in its tail and smashed him against the ground.

"I can't keep up with what's going on at all…" Sharp kept looking from left to right, up and down. All he could see was Gohan or one of the others attacking the Meta-Cooler before being swatted away.

Gohan shook off the hurt and dashed in again. He jumped and kicked at the Meta-Cooler's shoulder, knocking it off balance. He dropped to the floor and swung his leg out, knocking the machine's footing out from under it. As it fell he launched himself upward and swiftly changed direction, thrusting the Meta-Cooler to the ground while leaving a streak like a golden comet.

"That one looked good for Gohan!" Erasa cheered happily as Gohan flew back out of the crater he'd left the mechanoid in.

The Meta-Cooler seemed slow to pull itself out of the hole it was embedded in. Its red eye flashed several times as it studied Gohan. Meta-Cooler finally levitated out of the hole but never broke its gaze toward the saiyan boy, "*Beep*" The light in the cyclopean eye began to glow brighter.

Gohan wasn't sure what was happening until the mechanoid fired a gigantic red laser. Gohan put up his arms in defense as the red light overtook him.

"Oh no!" Videl yelled as she watched the laser sweep over Gohan. The intense heat of the laser could be felt where they were standing, raising the temperature of the whole cavernous area for a moment by ten to twenty degrees easily.

The light faded and Gohan was left scorched and smoking.

"Guys, he's not moving…" Sharp gulped.

"Is there anything we can do?" Erasa watched horrified as the Meta-Cooler took several steps closer to their friend.

Videl looked around, taking note of what was nearby, "Follow me, hurry, and Erasa, bring your tablet!"

The Meta-Cooler examined the boy for a moment, and then pointed a finger towards his chest. It seemed ready to fire another death beam through its opponent.

A large chunk of debris hit Meta-Cooler on its metal head causing an echoing clunk to fill the room. A series of more and larger debris began to hit it causing it to look up at the source of the disturbance.

"Yeah, that's right rust bucket, over here!" Videl shouted from several floors up. She and Sharp continued tossing loose pieces of whatever the Gete Star was made out of at the mechanoid.

Sharp looked over his shoulder towards his sister, "Okay, we've made it mad, any luck yet?"

Erasa shook her head, "They've really upped the network security on this thing, none of my hacking tricks are working anymore…"

"Oh great…" Sharp grit his teeth as he turned around saw the laser eye beginning to glow again. His eyes widened as he began to back up, "Umm… guys…"

"Crap," Videl noticed the attack building up as well.

"MASENKO," Meta-Cooler looked down and noticed Gohan's hands clasped over his head, "HAAA!" A huge purple tongue of energy engulfed Meta-Cooler and blasted it up towards the ceiling. Another explosion rang out as the wave ended.

Gohan pushed himself to his feet and first looked over to make sure his friends were okay. They waved so he gave them a thumbs up before limping over towards Piccolo and Vegeta.

Erasa almost flung her tablet away, "None of this is working, I just can't hack into it."

"Keep trying," Videl ordered, "Something's gotta give, Gohan and those other two are definitely strong, but they're tiring out. I'm not sure they're going to last much longer like this…"

Sharp went back to examining the surrounding area, "Is there anything else we can do? There has to be another way we can help!"

Piccolo put a hand to his head and shook of the weariness as Gohan approached, "He's strong."

Gohan nodded, "Very, I'm not sure if we're making much of a dent or just holding him off."

The sounds of Meta-Cooler recovering could be heard above. Piccolo put his hand on Gohan's shoulder, "The Gete Star is using the life force of the earth as fuel in this battle. We can't let this drag on any longer or the earth could suffer irreparable harm."

"What should we do?" Gohan asked looking like he was ready.

The grip Piccolo had on Gohan's shoulder tightened slightly as if to deliver some reassurance, "Gohan, _you_ need to destroy him, and fast."

Gohan looked down, "I don't know if I can do it, it's taking everything I've got just to keep up with him…"

"Now's not the time to be holding back Gohan!" Piccolo said more sternly causing Gohan to look up again, "We know you have ascended to greater heights of power than this, you have an entire transformation that would put you in a league far above anything this robot is doing, it's time you used it."

A frightened look overcame Gohan as he took a step back from Piccolo, "But… that… I…"

The stuttering was not the reaction Piccolo expected, "Gohan, what's wrong?"

Gohan clenched his teeth and then squeezed his eyes tight, "I can't transform like that again!"

A chunk of the ceiling ruptured as Meta-Cooler pushed off and flew towards the two. Piccolo made a move to engage first and opened his mouth wide once he was in close range and expelled a destructive wave from his throat. Meta-Cooler held a hand forward and cancelled the attack out into a large flash of light but Gohan followed up behind with more aggressive attacks than before.

Piccolo watched curiously as Gohan seemed almost desperate to cause some damage. Gohan's knee made it through Meta-Cooler's defense and curled the mechanoid over his leg before he brought both fists over its back to send it hard to the ground below.

Gohan's hands clasped together at his side, "KA-ME-HA-ME," the boy's eye twitched as gathered an incredible amount of energy and waited for the right moment to let it loose. The whole area filled with an intense blue light which all coalesced for a moment directly in Gohan's hands before erupting forward, "HAAA!"

Meta-Cooler rose to its feet as it saw the powerful attack heading right for it. It put up its hands to catch the energy wave and once contact was made Gohan pushed down on his attack as fiercely as he could. The floor beneath Meta-Cooler began to crack and give way and debris was flying all throughout the hollow space of their battle ground.

"I've never seen anything like that!" Sharp shouted over the noise as he shielded his face from air projectiles while watching the fight.

"Come on Gohan!" Erasa chanted while Videl watched with equal awe.

Videl held her fist forward as if to cheer Gohan on as well, "Do it!"

The Meta-Cooler took a step forward in an attempt to regain control of the struggle. Gohan saw the move and pushed to compensate, "No you don't!"

"*Beep*" Meta-Cooler's eye gave off another bright red glow before firing the laser into Gohan's energy wave. The red and blue waves pushed against each other, creating an incredibly bright point of contact which burned the eyes to look at. The laser began to push upwards on Gohan's attack until it lifted off of the Meta-Cooler's hands entirely.

"I've got to…" Gohan grit his teeth as he gave it everything he had.

The Meta-Cooler's eye laser intensified further, the heat incinerating everything near where it stood. Gohan noticed too late the attack coming his way and was washed away by the laser beam.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo and his friends all shouted as the boy was blown away. Piccolo hurried underneath Gohan's trajectory and caught him before he could hit the ground. Gohan's suit was burnt he was obviously stinging bad from the attack.

The Meta-Cooler started running towards the two but stopped as something gripped onto its tail, "I'm ready for round two, how about you?" Vegeta threw Meta-Cooler to the side before firing another energy ball at it.

Piccolo set Gohan down on the ground to let him recover a bit, "Gohan, you can end this quickly, why don't you?"

Gohan shook his head, "I can't use that power again Mr. Piccolo…"

"Can't, or won't?" Gohan winced from the way Piccolo spoke to him.

"I just can't… I can't transform into that… _thing_…" Gohan spat out the word "thing" with such malice that even Piccolo softened slightly.

"Gohan, there is no _thing_, your transformation states are yours for you to control and use to do as you will," Piccolo tried to reason with Gohan not seeing what Gohan was so upset about.

"No," Gohan's breathing became heavier as memories played through his mind, "That thing's a monster, who knows what it'll do, I can't let it out."

Piccolo watched Vegeta fight the Meta-Cooler for a moment, "This isn't looking good, Vegeta won't be able to hold up much longer."

Gohan pushed himself to his feet, "I'm ready to take him again, maybe this time I can…"

Piccolo pushed Gohan back down before he could finish, "You can't stop him like you are now, you don't have the power."

Gohan's mouth hung open as he tried to come up with an argument, "I have to try."

"And what?" Piccolo spoke harshly, "Put yourself again into a losing battle and die for nothing? What's going to happen to your friends over there, to everyone, if you die here?" Gohan looked down again at his hands. It looked as though Gohan was debating within himself so Piccolo kept pushing, "If you don't do this, then your friends, your family, everyone you care about in this world, they're all going to die!"

Gohan's teeth clenched and Piccolo could tell he was getting angry. Inwardly he apologized to Gohan but knew he had to be pushed, "So is that it? Is everyone just going to have to die because you don't want to help them?"

Videl and the others saw Piccolo yelling at Gohan and were moving in closer in case they needed to help.

"I…" Gohan's heartbeat quickened as his emotions ravaged him.

"You what?" Piccolo could feel that Gohan was close to spilling over, "I thought that you had grown up, that you had gotten over being that scared little boy from so long ago, but here we are again, holding your hand because you're scared of aliens?

"I'M NOT AFRAID!" Gohan pushed himself up angrily.

"Prove it," Piccolo didn't flinch as Gohan clutched his head.

"I CAN'T!" Gohan stumbled back, tears started streaking his face as his whole body shook.

Piccolo was starting to worry that something had gone very wrong, much more wrong than he ever thought before, "Why Gohan, why can't you?"

"Because… the last time…" Gohan swung his head to the side while his fingers clutched into his skull.

"The last time what Gohan?" Piccolo's voice returned to its more nurturing tone as he urged Gohan to get through this.

"The last time I used that power…" Gohan sank to his knees, his hair turned from gold to black and he began to cry, "I KILLED MY DAD!"

* * *

**End Chapter**

Finally! The end chapter mark… So sorry that I have another chapter that's months in the making, but as I said above, things have been weird in my life.

It's been awhile since I've gotten to write a chapter that focused almost entirely on combat. I hope the fight scenes were exciting. It was also cool getting Gohan's friends to see him in a serious fight for the first time. Sorry (not sorry) to leave the chapter on an emotional cliff. We finally find out that Gohan's been keeping a little more locked up than he lets on. Bad timing?

Hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave me a review or feel free to talk to me on just about any social site (I don't have many friends yet so it's always cool to have more)

Thank you all and 'til next time!


	16. The Monster Within

How long has it been since an update happened on this story… Too long, I'm sorry. This was a really difficult year. This story especially is a bit of an emotional ride for me since it was a story my mom really liked to hear before she passed away. I've been fortunate that even though I've spent almost a year being homeless that I've had good friends who wouldn't let me go without having shelter, but it's still stressful getting around all that.

I've fixed up the old chapters a bit. I went through them and fixed some of the bad techno babble, replaced it with theories I've learned since then which may still be more fantasy than science, but hopefully it's not flat out wrong anymore.

No promises for when the next chapter will be out, but I promise this chapter will at least end in a better place than the last one.

* * *

I need to catch up on the reviews. So sorry, I haven't even been on Tumblr in awhile. If I get any suggestions for a better place or system for that then I'll consider switching. Until then, check out the review responses on my Tumblr page at revu-review dot tumblr dot com or do a search on Tumblr for #RevuReplies.

If you'd like to talk shop, stories, DBZ, or just say hi, please message me here, or on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, any one of the social media things on my profile page.

Thank you so much for reading and see you at the bottom.

* * *

Last Time on Dragonball Legend

Mr. Satan was saved at the last minute before being dissected and absorbed by The Big Gete Star, but promptly fainted from all the excitement. Vegeta fought with The Meta Cooler and backed by all of the power of The Big Gete Star it turned into a bigger threat than Vegeta could handle on his own. Piccolo and Gohan joined the fray but were also pummeled by the mechanical monster. Piccolo pleaded with Gohan to use his full power and transform to his ascended level so he could wipe the floor with The Meta Cooler and The Big Gete Star completely. Instead of transforming though, Gohan became extremely anxious. When finally asked by Piccolo why he couldn't transform, Gohan shouted, "The last time I used that power I killed my dad!"

* * *

Chapter 16: The Monster Within

* * *

Piccolo's mouth hung slightly open, he just couldn't believe he had heard Gohan properly. He looked up at the battle still taking place briefly before he dropped slightly to look at Gohan at eye level, "Gohan… what?"

Gohan couldn't look Piccolo in the eye. He was still shaking as he repeated himself, "The last time I used that power, all he wanted to do was cause pain and suffering, he killed my dad…"

The explanation only proved to confuse Piccolo even more, "He? Are you talking about Cell?"

"No I mean me! Or I mean I… or... it's all the same thing…" Gohan squeezed his eyes shut.

"Listen Gohan," From above they could both hear Vegeta yell as the Meta Cooler got a good punch in, "I'm sorry I didn't realize that this was something you've been dragging with you for so long. I promise that once we make it through this I will do everything I can to help you, but right now we need you to focus. You're the only one who can do this."

Debris was kicked up as Vegeta was knocked to the ground nearby. The Meta-Cooler dove into Vegeta with its knees onto his back. Vegeta curled backwards and screamed as the crunch rippled through his body and blood flew from his mouth.

Piccolo's eyes widened, "Gohan! We don't have a choice! Please! You have to do it!" He couldn't continue the debate with Gohan and rushed to Vegeta's aid. He kicked at the Meta Cooler but was easily dodged. Meta Cooler grabbed onto Piccolo's leg from behind and slammed him into the ground by Vegeta.

"NO!" Gohan was about to rush back into the fray.

Piccolo held a hand out to stop Gohan, "If you're going to fight then fight with your all, otherwise stay out of this!" He pushed himself up from the ground and punched at the Meta Cooler again, but was similarly swiped to the side.

Gohan's hair lifted slightly as if it were trembling with the rest of his body as he watched Piccolo do his best against a stronger enemy.

Vegeta rose again and struck at the Meta Cooler, his face showed only the signs of pure determination as he ignored the pain and attacked again with his all. Both he and Piccolo blasted at the Meta Cooler together. Their combined blast hit some kind of a shield protecting the mechanoid.

The ground beneath Gohan's feet began to shake. At first it was a slight tremble but soon it became a much more vicious quaking.

The telepathic voice of the young god of earth projected to Gohan's mind, "Please Gohan! Something has to be done now!"

"Dende?" Gohan gulped as he tried to keep his thoughts collected.

"The Big Gete Star, it's grip on the earth is tightening. It's squeezing every last drop of life energy it can get from within the planet." Dende's voice sounded pained, as though he could feel what the planet felt through his connection as its guardian, "Please! If this goes on much longer the planet won't be able to recover!"

"I have to…" Gohan's hands clenched tight and he nodded to himself. His stance widened and his knees bent as he reached deep down for that well of power that he knew existed within him. He began to shout as he willed that power to the surface. His hair gave off a glow as it began to spike higher.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo shouted at the top of his lungs.

Gohan looked up in time to see the Meta Cooler's fist make contact with his face and sent him skipping across the torn up floor of their battlefield like a stone over water.

"NO! GOHAN!" Videl and the others shouted as the saw Gohan smash into a wall.

Gohan's body ached as he barely opened his eyes again. The Meta Cooler appeared in front of him, two fingers pointed in his direction, and a wicked red glow formed at the tips.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!" The Special Beam Cannon ripped through the Meta Cooler's forearm, ripping it off of the rest of the Meta Cooler's body. Slowly, the machine looked over at the source of the blast to see Piccolo on his knees, breathing heavily with his fingers still outstretched.

"*Beep," The Meta Cooler's single eye gave off a brighter light as the wiring from within it formed a new hand to immediately replace the one Piccolo hand blown off. It floated up into the air to overlook everyone in the destroyed factory. The walls of the Big Gete Star began to glow a bright golden color. Jolts of lightning like plasma radiated from the bone metal structure as it pushed more energy into its defender.

The energy beamed through the air into the Meta Cooler, causing an incredible glow to overcome its artificial body. It almost appeared as though fusion was taking place; the machine gave off light like a star in the sky. Energy condensed to the point that the gravity waves began to emit throughout the room, pushing and stretching everything nearby harshly in different directions as the ground continued its violent quaking.

"NO! It's going to kill the earth!" Dende shouted mentally to the warriors present.

"AHHH!" Gohan looked back and realized that as hard as the gravity waves were pushing him around that they were completely crushing his friends. They were all screaming as they were flattened against other objects. "HELP US!"

Gohan's mouth fell open as he realized this would be the end of everything. The earth was going to die. His friends were going to die. Everyone and everything he cared about would all be turned to dust in a matter of moments.

Tears streaked his face as he let out a scream that tore through the noise of the battle ground. His aura gave off a glow which for a moment negated the light from the Meta Cooler. In the next moment, there was silence. Every force in the room equalized. The ground ended its shaking, and gravity returned to normal.

Videl, Sharp, and Erasa slowly pushed themselves up and looked around. The air was completely still, and it was as if time had simply stopped for everything around them. Piccolo and Vegeta also began to slowly turn around. They too felt as though everything was caught in a strange vacuum of time and space.

Their eyes all reached Gohan in nearly the same instant, and as they all focused on his face they were momentarily blinded as an explosion erupted from the boy and time moved at its normal pace once again. Gohan's scream echoed in their ears as the air being evacuated from his aura pushed everyone away.

The room calmed and everyone tried again to look over to the boy in the dragon armor. Gohan's hair had lengthened into much sharper spikes than before and the aura over him slowly took the shape of a burning golden dragon as the armor's systems reinitiated.

"Now he's got this…" Piccolo sighed in relief as Gohan locked onto the Meta Cooler which still appeared to be analyzing him.

"Is that the same Gohan?!" Sharp asked dumbfounded.

"I…" Erasa watched with wide eyes, completely fascinated by the remarkable transformation.

"Everything's changed…" Videl whispered as she took note of Gohan's stance and facial expression.

The Meta Cooler pointed a finger again at Gohan. Red light flared from the tip as it readied to fire. No one saw Gohan move, he simply vanished from where he had been standing and appeared directly in front of the Meta Cooler and crushed its hand before it could do anything.

The hand began to repair itself as the Meta Cooler swung at Gohan with its other hand. As the punch approached Gohan from the other side, Gohan simply ripped the arm off and tossed it to the ground as soon as it was within his grabbing range.

The Meta Cooler halted for a moment as if it were processing information. It immediately regenerated the lost arm and punched at Gohan again. As before Gohan simply ripped the arm off and tossed it to the other side. The Meta Cooler's speed intensified. Its punches became blurs as it threw punch after punch at the boy, but each time Gohan ripped the newly generated arm from its body and tossed it to the ground. All the witnesses of the battle watched in awe as the pile of arms on the ground began to form a mountain like heap of trash.

"*Beep," The Meta Cooler finally backed away from Gohan and tried scanning him again.

Gohan watched emotionlessly as he was gauged by his enemy. Finally his expression changed into a half smile as he held a hand out in front of him.

The Meta Cooler barely had the time to register the movement as an energy wave ripped through the lower half of its body.

"*BEEP," The Meta Cooler began frantically regenerating its body as once again Gohan continued to blast away all of its attempts to heal itself.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo yelled from below, "DESTROY THAT THING! HURRY!"

Gohan looked down at Piccolo, for a moment a serious expression on his face. He looked back up at the Meta Cooler and then slowly licked his lips. Piccolo's blood chilled as Gohan's shoulders began to tremble, and then rolled back as he began to laugh, "Not a chance!"

"What…?" Piccolo gulped as the realization hit that something was very wrong.

Again Gohan blasted away the reforming portion of the Meta Cooler's body, "The Big Gete Star, it tricked me, tied me up and hurt me, it hurt my friends. It doesn't get off so easy!" Gohan punctuated his statement by blasting off the Meta Cooler's arms again, leaving only a floating torso as it tried to piece itself back together. "And besides…" Gohan threw a few more shots at the robotic enemy, "It's not often I get to stretch like this, I need to make it count!"

The Meta Cooler tried pulling together just enough of itself to launch a counterattack, but Gohan easily dodged to the side and chopped the renewed arm clean off with his bare hand.

Gohan floated closer to the Meta Cooler. He could see his reflection in its cyclops eye, "Don't you ever get tired of being stepped on? Don't you get infuriated watching everyone else get their way all the time? I know I do…"

From the close proximity, the Meta Cooler's side burst open and several dozen wires flew from the robotic body and attached themselves to Gohan. "*Beep," a flow of light indicated energy was being pulled from Gohan's body into the Meta Cooler.

"NO! GOHAN!" The boy's friends shouted as they watched the robot drain him of his energy.

Again a half smile came across the boy's face as he grabbed onto the wires attached to him and forced his energy through them.

"*BEEPBEEPBEEP," The amount of energy flowing into the Meta Cooler quickly overwhelmed the mechanoid. A bright light was building under its armor until it had to be expelled from its body, blowing apart its armor with it.

Gohan reached into the explosion and pulled something out of it. The eye of the Meta Cooler still attached to a spine like tendon which connected it to an egg like apparatus.

Videl's eyes narrowed as she saw what Gohan was holding, "That's the core of the Gete Star! That's what it looked like when it first fell to earth!"

The core squirmed in Gohan's hand but it was obviously impossible to escape.

Gohan continued to look into the glowing eye, "It's not fair, having to be the only one to really deal with all the… hurt… So much of it that I just want to… hurt… something like they hurt me…"

The pressure of Gohan's fist as it slowly squeezed into the spine of the Gete Core formed cracks along the boney machine, "*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP* Please… do not… hurt me…"

"You're afraid… Good!" Gohan squeezed a little harder causing the cracks to spread.

Dende's voice rang out again in Gohan's head, "Gohan! You need to stop! The Gete Star is still draining energy from the earth!"

"That's right…" Gohan held his hand out and blew a new hole in the side of the Gete Star. He tossed the Gete Core over his head before disappearing from the air.

"Where'd he…?!" Before Videl could finish her question, Gohan appeared at her side and the two of them disappeared at super speed.

"What…" Sharp almost got out one word before his sister disappeared in the same fashion. "...the…?" By the time he finished his statement of shock he was standing outside the Gete Star by Videl and Erasa again.

Hercule was also left beside them and quickly joined by Piccolo and Vegeta who did not look very pleased, "I leave the battle when I damn well feel like it! Where'd that punk go?!"

Piccolo pointed ahead near the base of the Big Gete Star. Gohan stood still as he watched the Gete Core slowly fall within the structure until it collided with the floor. Immediately it was reabsorbed into the Star itself.

Krillin and the other Z-Fighters landed beside Piccolo, "Yes! Gohan is finally gonna get serious fighting this thing!"

Gohan hopped into the air before he disappeared from sight. Though no one saw it, something collided with the ground hard enough to send up a mound of dirt and quake the earth for miles around.

Krillin jumped back as the Gete Star tilted to one side and everything shook violently, "Oh no! Gohan is getting serious fighting this thing!"

Again the world became silent as the lights on the Big Gete Star changed to an eerie red. Then the ground shook again. Even Piccolo and Vegeta stared in shock as the arms of the Big Gete Star were bent back away from the earth and the entire structure appeared to be lifting from the ground.

Space opened between the Big Gete Star and the earth and immediately golden flames shot out from between them. The Gete Star continued to lift higher and higher, atop the back of a gigantic flaming golden dragon aura. In the midst of it Gohan floated with his arms pointed upwards, holding the entire Star up on a cushion of his energy.

Having completely separated the Big Gete Star from the earth, Gohan grinned to himself, "Awww, where are you gonna get your energy from now?" Gohan held out a hand and fired an energy beam large enough to tear off an entire arm like root of the Gete Star's structure, evaporating it into nothingness. The loss of such a large piece of the star seemed to cause the entire building to tremble and scream.

Gohan laughed as he turned his hand and blasted off another root, then another. He was enjoying himself immensely. The glow of his power and the explosions reflected off his face as he smiled throwing energy wave after energy wave. Piece by piece, Gohan laughed as he picked off pieces of the Big Gete Star, revelling in its fear, pain, and screams. Once the roots were all destroyed, he seared off the joint like edges where they had been connected to. Once those were burnt away he lashed out at other extrusions of the surface. Once those were destroyed, Gohan used smaller blasts to burn scars and holes across any part of the Gete Star that didn't look as though it were scarred enough.

"GOHAN STOP!"

Gohan took in a sharp breath as the echoes of familiar voices finally reached his ears. He wasn't sure how long they had been yelling or how long he'd been lost in his destructive bliss. He looked around him and saw The Gete Star was reduced to little more than a stalk of its former self. He looked down at his friends who were watching him in fear and shock.

Videl couldn't believe the display of power Gohan was putting on in front of them. His force, the level of his destruction was something primal, something uncontrollable, something terrifying, "That's enough!"

Gohan looked down at his own hand. Above him the Gete Star was still trapped, still burning, still screaming. Gohan began to tremble again, but this time it was not out of a sense of amusement, "I did this…" tears began to fall from Gohan's eyes as he listened to the cries of his suspended enemy.

"It's time boy! Put it out of its misery!" A yell, distinctly Vegeta's, pierced its way to the troubled teen.

"I… I..." Gohan's jaw quivered, "I didn't mean… I'm sorry!"

The Gete Core flashed within the remaining portion of the Big Gete Star, "*Beep, reconstitute, begin reabsorption process of all non-essential materials!" The form of the Big Gete Star began to liquify and contract. All across the star, components were melting down and joining the overall whole again. The Carbon Interface room, the robot producing factories, the spare Cyclopean Guards, every last Guide Robo, even damaged ones began to melt and return to the system.

A certain broken Guide Robo sparked as the ground around it began to absorb it. Energy flowed to its memory engrams as they were loaded across the physical connection as everything it was returned to the Big Gete Star.

"Damn it all," Vegeta cursed as he limped forward and kept a close eye on Gohan's inaction, "Now is not the time for the boy to be having an emotional breakdown."

"Give him a moment Vegeta," Piccolo defended Gohan, but he also was unsure of what he could say to Gohan at this time to end the situation.

The Big Gete Star slowly reconfigured and transformed itself over Gohan's head.

"It may attack again, we'll have to destroy it ourselves!" Vegeta began to gather his energy.

The transformation process halted abruptly. It looked incomplete, but nothing more moved, no more weapons molded, the struggling against Gohan's power all but stopped.

Gohan was still frozen, lost in his own mind over what he should do. It felt so wrong to him now to destroy it after what he'd done, but he knew he couldn't just put it down. Even letting it escape into space would only be condemning another planet to endure it.

Erasa watched the Big Gete Star closely, "It couldn't have run out of energy yet…"

A light shined down from the star and focused on Gohan's face causing the boy to look up. "Recognized, registered user zero zero three, Son Gohan."

Gohan blinked the emotion from his face as he listened to the odd broadcast over loud speakers, "What?"

The light moved and looked over the others below, "Recognized registered users zero zero one, Videl Satan; zero zero two, Sharpner Scribes." The light focused in on Erasa, "Identified ultra-user, the one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail!"

Erasa swallowed down a large gulp and shook her head, "Grobert? Is that you?!"

"*Beep, The unit with modified ID 'Grobert' has been incorporated to the main database. Data corruption detected, the Gete Star System is attempting to remove foreign programming."

"Ummm…" All eyes turned to Erasa as she tried to think of something, "Execute memory engram firewall! Isolate access ports and begin system recovery."

"*Beep, initializing firewall…" Even Vegeta was completely silent as he watched the young girl communicate with the towering Gete Star. "Complete… The Gete Star System has been isolated, powering down affected subroutines."

"You did it!" Videl and Sharp hugged Erasa as they realized this meant the Big Gete Star wasn't a threat. Erasa was laughing as she shouted up at the Grobert controlled Gete Star, "How did you manage to upload yourself into the Gete Star Core?"

"*Beep, while resources were focused on defending the Big Gete Star from external threats, the database consistency measures failed to detect the abnormalities reprogramed into unit Grobert until all modifications were incorporated into the Gete Star System itself."

"That's great!" Erasa beamed, "Then it's okay now, you're not going to hurt anyone anymore!"

"*Beep, Negative," The response confused Erasa but she took a few steps closer.

"Why is your answer negative?" Erasa demanded.

"The Big Gete Star is designed to fuel itself through the absorption of bio material. The Gete Star is now a contradiction against itself. This paradox must be rectified."

Gohan still held the Big Gete Star over his head away from the earth, "What is the contradiction, what can we do?"

"*Beep, With the information gathered from unit Grobert, the Big Gete Star now understands the importance of individual life. Each life has meaning, and the ability to pursue its purpose. This contradicts the method of The Gete Star's existence."

The Big Gete Star began to change again. All the openings, windows, and vents began to seal themselves, "*Beep, Initiating self destruct. Structural integrity of outer shell will contain ninety seven percent of core explosion. Safe distance for life forms has been calculated at twelve hundred meters."

"No! Grobert please!" Erasa shouted at the star as the last of the openings sealed shut.

The Gete Star continued to seal itself into a ball, "The one and only amazing Erasa, all hail! All hail! I have learned much from humans. Any being with the purpose of destruction has the destiny to be destroyed. This is necessary so that life may find happiness. Please find happiness."

Emotions overtook Erasa again as Sharp and Erasa put their arms around her to help provide some comfort.

"*Beep, Self destruct in thirty seconds. User zero zero three, Gohan, please move the Big Gete Star to a safe distance."

Gohan looked down sadly and nodded, "I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and threw the star up as hard as he could.

"Three, two, one, *Beee…" A shockwave like explosion ripped out from the shell of the Big Gete Star. The Z-Fighters all watched as pieces of burning bone-metal began to fall back to earth. The smoke began to clear, and above it the sky was glowing. Not from fire, but from the life energy of the earth that the Big Gete Star had absorbed. Slowly it began to fall back to the earth like a gentle snow.

"It's beautiful…" Sharp held out his hand and caught a spec that absorbed into his hand. He jumped as he felt a small jolt of energy course through his body from it.

"Yeah…" Erasa sniffed.

The giant golden dragon aura disappeared as Gohan's hair returned to its natural black color and he slowly sank to the ground. He didn't move from the point he had touched down and simply stared up at the sky.

Piccolo made his way to Gohan and put a hand on his shoulder, "Let's go."

Gohan nodded and followed Piccolo into the sky without saying another word.

"Where are they going?!" Videl demanded as the two of them drifted away from the group.

"Probably to the lookout," Krillin answered, recognizing immediately that there was a lot of tension in the group.

"We're going too," Videl's strong voice made it clear she was stating a fact, not asking a question.

Krillin gulped nervously as he nodded, "Umm… what about him?"

Everyone looked to the champion, still out cold on the ground, "Oh… dad…"

"I'll get him home," Bulma spoke from behind everyone, "Just help me get him in the skycar and I'm sure it would look the least suspicious for him to arrive that way than having anyone fly him over."

Videl nodded, "Thank you."

Again the group took to the sky and flew across the planet.

Though the earth was saved from the Big Gete Star, a great amount of trepidation filled the minds of everyone present. Atop Kami's Lookout, Dende was immediately healing everyone, even their minor wounds.

Unlike previous victories, there was little celebration, those who were happy the earth was safe expressed their excitement in whispers. At the steps of the temple, Gohan had been sitting without moving or talking since he returned.

Dende sat beside him once everyone was healed, "Gohan, everything is alright. Everyone is safe, no one died, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"No, I…" Gohan's eyes never moved from his focus on a specific floor tile, "I lost control out there, I could have done awful… horrible things if I hadn't snapped out of it when I did."

"But you did snap out of it," Dende tried to assure him.

Gohan only shook his head, "It wasn't on my own, everyone was shouting for me to stop, and it took so long for that to break through. What if I snap again but next time it isn't against an enemy?"

"That's not going to happen!" Dende immediately tried to defend Gohan against himself, "You're too good a person to ever hurt another good person, I believe in you."

"But, I might not be…" Gohan whispered as his eyes opened wider, "I put everything in more danger than it should have been in… What if the Gete Star had blown itself up while I was holding it like Cell did? It would have killed everyone around it, all my friends, probably the entire city at least… All because I was too busy enjoying myself… What if I'm a monster?"

"Gohan?" The voices of Sharp and Erasa caused Gohan to finally look up from the floor.

Erasa sighed and tried speaking first, "I'm… well… I'm not sure what to think honestly. Everything I've seen today has been amazing and completely scary at the same time. I'm not mad at you for any of it… There were times today you scared me, and there were a lot of times I was scared for you. I guess… Ummm… You're…"

"You're dangerous," everyone looked up at Videl who filled the gap in Erasa's words.

Erasa cringed a bit, "That… isn't what I was going to say."

"But it's still true," Videl spoke harshly as she crossed her arms and stood in front of Gohan.

Krillin leaned over to Videl and tried to quietly mention, "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the kid's a little down right now… maybe he could use some friendliness?"

Videl's glare caused Krillin to immediately back away with his hands up, "I don't know you, and today I learned that I barely know him," Videl's accusing finger pointed Gohan's way, "All this time, I thought I knew who you were, and finally today find out that you're friends with this league of villains! And knowing that now, should I be surprised that you have this twisted dark side that wants to destroy? No, I think I should turn you all in so you can face justice for the things you've done."

An offended look came over Krillin's face, "Hey, that's really not fair to say without…"

"Krillin!" Gohan shouted to stop Krillin from saying any more. He shook his head and returned to staring at the ground, "It's okay. I'll go along with whatever Videl thinks is best."

Though Gohan was agreeing with her, the fact that Gohan wasn't being argumentative or belligerent actually frustrated her further. With a grunt, Videl quickly turned and marched herself away from the crowd.

"Videl!" Sharp and Erasa called at her but she kept walking.

"I need a minute alone!" Videl turned around the side of the temple.

Sharp gulped nervously, "Oh…"

Around the back of the lookout, Videl saw a loose rock on the ground and kicked it off the edge as hard as she could. She watched as it soared through the sky and plummeted to the earth beyond her sight.

Videl sat near the edge and pulled her knees to her chest as she tried to think.

Several minutes went by but no progress had been made in her thoughts. She picked up the sound of soft footsteps approaching, not the type that were trying to sneak on her, but the steps of someone who naturally walked quietly. Her eyes shifted to the side and she saw Piccolo approaching.

Immediately, Videl jumped to her feet and faced the tall green man, "I don't want any trouble."

"Then that makes two of us," Piccolo continued passed Videl and stood at the edge of the lookout beside her with his arms crossed. Not looking at her, he simply stared out at the earth in silence.

Slowly Videl eased herself from the tension Piccolo's presence had initially caused and returned to looking down at the earth as well.

"You do care about Gohan," Piccolo spoke in a low voice.

"I really don't want to talk right now," Videl turned away as to try and shut out the other sky gazer.

"You don't have to talk, but I think you should listen," Piccolo took a silent breath as he began, "I understand that right now you're feeling betrayed, you feel as though he should have trusted you."

"That's an understatement," Videl grumbled, "He didn't just betray me, he outright lied to me, no one lies to me and somehow I never saw through it…"

"What did he lie to you about?" Piccolo decided to take a risk and push Videl for her reasons.

"He…" Videl looked to the side for a moment, "You for instance, he told me you were a great mentor, that you taught him good things and took him travelling across the world. How would that even be possible because, no offence, you'd definitely be noticed if you just showed up at random cities across the globe."

Piccolo was silent for a moment. He too lost in thought. "He… said that?" Videl was shocked to hear Piccolo's voice almost crack under emotion, but quickly the man righted himself. "You may see the truth as something that should be simple, but I'm afraid Gohan does come from a world more complicated than that."

"What are you even talking about?" Videl huffed under her own emotional strain, "The truth is simple if you just speak it."

"Is that so?" The wind picked up and ruffled through Piccolo's cape, "Then allow me to tell you some of that boy's truth. You people have known him by many names. Not just Gohan, and not just "The Dragon", he had a name years ago that the media popularized… "Delivery Boy". Two years ago, a small eleven year old boy stood up to a monster called Cell. No one took him seriously. He's gone down in your history, barely worth a mention. An anonymous participant at the Cell Games, probably there to deliver food to the others. But what he should have been called was the true hero that day. That boy has saved this entire world no less than five times in his short life, and never once has he had the conceit to take credit for the incredible things he has done."

Videl's mouth hung open, waiting for her senses to tell her Piccolo was lying to her, but not once did she sense it.

Piccolo closed his eyes as he remembered his past, "It's true that many of the people that boy keeps in his company do lack a righteous background, I'm no exception to that. But each of them have worked hard to defend the earth, time and time again from far greater threats. Gohan though… is so different than the rest. His heart is unlike anyone else I've ever met, so gentle and filled with more forgiveness than anyone can possibly imagine. He told you I was his mentor and that I took him travelling across the world?"

Videl nodded without speaking.

"While I wish desperately that there was nothing more to the truth than that, I'm afraid that is only true from a certain point of view. The fact of the matter is I kidnapped him." Videl's eyes widened as the gravity of what Piccolo was admitting set in, "He was little more than a toddler, barely able to function on his own. After losing to his father at the World Martial Arts Tournament I saw great potential in that boy, a potential that would be needed if the earth was to survive the struggles that were to come."

Though Piccolo tried to hide it, Videl saw that Piccolo's hand began to tremble slightly, "I tortured that boy… I put him through a year of nightmare, and pain, and suffering. I pushed him to his limits and beyond because at the time he was our greatest hope and I knew for sure the ends would justify the means. But what I did to him was selfish and disgusting. I took him from his loving family, fed him rotten food, allowed him to have pets to give him a sense of hope just so that nature could run its course and he'd lose that friend to have his hope crushed. I beat him to a bloody pulp again and again, day after day. After everything I've done he should despise me with all of his being. And yet… not once… After the fear faded, not once has he ever looked at me with anything besides love and admiration. Emotions I will never deserve from him. Where others only ever saw a monster, he reached to me for friendship. He's not only saved lives, he saved my soul and I would die for him a thousand times over to make it up to him."

Videl tried to cover up the fact that Piccolo's words had made her emotional by turning away from him, "Why tell me this?"

"Because it's the truth of who he is that he won't yet admit to himself," Piccolo sighed as he turned to leave, "And it's the truth you should consider as you decide how to pass judgement on him."

Piccolo was walking away as Videl jumped to her feet, "Wait!" Piccolo stopped and Videl bit her lip, "Someone is lying, my father saved the world from Cell, I'd know if he was lying about that!"

Piccolo looked to the side for a moment and then back to Videl, "Has your father ever actually stated that he defeated Cell, or is it just what all the media believed?"

Videl's eyes widened as she started playing back the last two years. All the people who ever congratulated her father for beating Cell, all the news reports on the events, all the speeches her father gave, did he ever once actually admit that he was the one who did it?

"Lie to me," Videl looked up with one more demand, "Please, I need you to blatantly lie to me."

Silence washed over the two for a moment as clouds quickly moved across the sky. Piccolo grinned to himself, "The truth is simple."

Videl's eyes widened, her senses latched onto that lie immediately. Piccolo returned to the other side of the lookout, leaving Videl to think alone.

No one yet knew how to comfort Gohan. Erasa and Sharp stood close but didn't know what to say to him. All of his other friends also didn't know how to deal with Gohan's emotions.

Sharp pointed Videl out as she marched from around the corner of the temple. There was a definite purpose to her stride and a seriousness on her face as she stormed to the front of the temple. Everyone could tell she meant business as she reached the steps and stood directly in front of Gohan.

Gohan had to have heard her approaching steps, but he didn't move. He continued to stare at the ground, motionless.

Everyone wondered just what Videl was going to, and how she was going to respond to everything. Videl stared at Gohan's sulking form for a moment before she reached down and roughly lifted him to his feet and then wrapped her arms around him.

Gohan's eyes widened in shock. The embrace took him by surprise and it took him a moment to process what was happening. Videl grabbed onto his back and held him tighter. The hug was delivering a message, one that couldn't be conveyed in words and as Gohan received that message he broke down. His arms wrapped around Videl as well, his head fell onto her shoulder, and he started to cry.

One of Videl's hands made its way to his hair and offered him comfort through the emotional outburst as she ran her fingers along the back of his scalp.

At the close proximity, Videl whispered into his ear, "A lot has happened, and there's a lot we need to talk about. But you're stuck with me now. No matter what, even when we're pissed at each other, I'll always be your friend."

Gohan smiled through his tears. Erasa joined in the hug on one side while Sharp almost tackled them from the other side to join in, a large grin on his face, ecstatic that their friendship survived the biggest hurdle yet.

Everyone else stood back and let the teens be, happy that it looked as though everything was going to work out fine.

* * *

End Chapter

Thank you all for continuing to read my stories. It really means alot to me that even after all the times I go into emotional funks, disappear, and get nothing done for months or even a year at a time, that people are still interested in the stuff I write. This chapter got me emotional, but I think it was in a good way. It was actually good to have something other than stress and uncertainty building up that just doesn't ever go away.

This chapter puts us at like page two of my twenty page outline for the entire story. And I do really want to finish this and will do everything I can to see the whole outline fill the pages to completion, I also need to do something to start giving my life some meaning. So I'm going to write and publish an original story. It's probably going to take a few months to work it out, which of course is going to take more time away from fanfics like this, but I really hope that maybe if you like what and how I write that you may be willing to support me when my first book is actually for sale.

If you're just here for the Dragon Ball Fics then that's fine too, I won't stop doing this, and in fact if I make enough money selling real books then maybe I'll end up with more time to write these stories as well.

Thank you all for being patient and having lots of good things to say over the last really hard year. Message me anytime and I hope to hear from you all again soon!


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